Don't Eat Sharks' Fins!

5 million years from now, our Sun will die. But it will not die alone.

There's creed Indian saying that goes:
Until the last tree had been fell;
Until the last river had been polluted;
Until the last fish had been caught;
Only then, will Man realise that money cannot be eaten.

I had stopped eating sharks' fins for 9 years now. Every time I went to wedding banquets or dinners that served sharks' fins, I would ask the one sitting next to me or any of my friends to eat it for me. All my poly friends knew of my ultimate detest for sharks' fins, and they would usually make "bookings" 1st, for my bowl of sharks' fins soup.

I used to eat sharks' fins. It didn't taste exceptionally good to me, but I just ate it anyways. Until the day when I chanced upon a documentary about sharks' fins hunting about 9 years ago.
I could vaguely remember the documentary now. Except the scene where the fishermen would cut off the sharks' fins and kick the sharks, now finless, back into the cold waters of the sea. But the sharks were not dead, yet. They were still alive when the fins were cut off. They were still alive when the fishermen kicked them into the sea. They were still alive when their heavy bodies sank into the bottom of the sea. They only lied on the sea bed, suffocating to their deaths. Why? Cos sharks need to move their bodies around to breathe through their gills. They will die if their bodies stopped moving.

It was a slow, if not painful death. I could still remember that the fishing boat was soaked with blood, and the fishermen were really happy with their catch. Those fins, hundreds of them, could undoubtedly sell for a lot of money. It was their livelihood and I can understand. When there is demand for sharks' fins, they will continue to kill. So from then on, I promised myself that I would not eat sharks' fins again.

It might proved to be too insignificant. I mean, how much sharks' fins can I consume a year? I am not a rich man's daughter. I don't eat sharks' fins soup every day, so why am I so stubborn about this whole thing? My friends don't get married and have banquets everyday so what's the fuss? I know. But I just wanted to do it. People who don't know me often ask me why I don't eat sharks' fins. I would just say it is to protect the sharks. They would go "oh" and probably laugh at my foolishness behind my back. But you know what? I don't really care what people think about me. I made this choice and I want to stick with it for the rest of my life.

It isn't just the cruelty. You people probably didn't know that sharks, if hunted so relentlessly for their fins, will face extinction sooner or later. I am not vegetarian, for your information. In fact, I have to admit that I am a meat lover. From beef to chicken to pork or any other meats. I love them all. But the trick is not to eat something that is endangered. And sharks is one of them. So far I had not heard about sharks being farmed for their meat and fins. But if there is, then by all means eat it. But I doubt so. Cos sharks are wonderfully mysterious creatures and I doubt anyone has the technique or know-how to farm them. They have, afterall, been around since the dinosaurs roamed the earth.

I sincerely hope that those who read this blog could share my sentiments and stop consuming sharks' fins. It's just not worth it. It didn't taste exceptionally good, but yet you have to pay a fortune to eat it. Forget about the nutritional value, if there's any. Go get yourself multivitamins and you are good as new. I mean, how long do you expect to live? And lastly, because I really want my children, and my children's children to know about this creature, please don't make them extinct.