13 Feb 2007 - Beijing, China This Chinese New Year, TRAFFIC,
the wildlife trade monitoring network, is calling on consumers
to carefully source or to avoid certain food products that
contain shark fins, sea cucumbers and other endangered species.
It's about being aware of what we consume and the impact
it can have on species and the environment, says Timothy
Lam of TRAFFIC Hong Kong.
Some people are not aware of which species are under pressure
of over-exploitation. Our advice is based on threats to
wildlife and the environment from unsustainable trade and
consumer demand.
Abalone Buy carefully. Because of its popularity, stocks
of this prized marine mollusk also known as perlemoen
have plummeted in South Africa. Valued for its meat, the
species is mostly exported to East Asia, particularly Hong
Kong, where it can fetch up to US$1,000/kg during the Chinese
New Year. Continued illegal harvesting and trade could have
a severe impact on the survival of the species, and could
result in the closure of legal fisheries and the loss of
hundreds of jobs. Ask your supplier if their abalone has
been legally sourced before buying.
Shark fin Buy very carefully. Shark fin soup is a Chinese
delicacy that has been served for more than 2,000 years
to honour important occasions. Over 80 countries are involved
in the shark fin trade, with Hong Kong at its centre. It
is estimated that there are over 400 species of sharks worldwide;
83 species are listed as either "critically endangered",
"endangered" or "vulnerable" at the
global or regional level. Tens of millions of sharks are
killed each year through by-catch or direct catch for fins
and meat. The international trade in shark fins is placing
severe pressures on slow-growing and vulnerable shark populations.
If unsustainable fishing continues unchecked, scientists
fear shark populations will decline past critical thresholds.
Sea cucumber Buy very carefully. For centuries, sea cucumbers
have been a popular food source, particularly in East Asia.
In the 1980s, international trade in sea cucumbers for food
increased dramatically, including the overharvesting of
one cucumber species in Ecuador. Although sea cucumber exports
from Ecuador account for a tiny proportion of the world
trade in this commodity, the impact of the fishery threatens
the unique ecosystem of the world-renowned Galapagos Islands.
Sea cucumbers are also shipped from many other countries
around the world to East Asia. They are predominantly sourced
from developing countries with little or no management in
place.
Facai moss Don't buy. The harvesting of facai a black,
hair-like moss that for centuries has been added to soups
and other dishes in the belief that it will increase the
wealth of those who eat it has turned millions of hectares
of grasslands in China into desert. To obtain the moss harvesters
uproot slow-growing grass, leaving the ground exposed to
wind and susceptible to desertification. About 1.6 hectares
of grassland are damaged for each 450g of moss collected.
China outlawed the sale of facai in 2000. For those still
in need of a fix, artificially-grown facai can be a good
alternative.
Health tonics containing endangered species Buy very
carefully. Tonics containing parts of endangered species
such as wild ginseng, Asian freshwater turtles, seahorses,
saiga antelope, pangolins, geckos, tigers and others are
often consumed during the Chinese New Year. All of these
species are subject to overexploitation and uncontrolled
trade. Although most ginseng roots on the market come from
cultivated beds and a considerable amount is legally harvested
from the wild, an unsustainable, illegal market still exists.
Asias freshwater turtles are literally being eaten out
of existence, with three-quarters now listed as "threatened",
and over half considered "endangered". An estimated
24 million seahorses are taken from the wild every year
for use in traditional Chinese medicine or sold live for
the aquarium trade. And with only around 5,000 tigers left
in the wild, all international trade of tiger products is
illegal. Wines or tonics containing tiger bone are strictly
prohibited.
For many of these species, we feel that until such time
as there is a sustainable and certifiable source of these
items, consumers should stay away from them as they are
coming under increasing threat, said WWF-Hong Kong CEO
Eric Bohm.
To have a guilt-free Year of the Pig, carefully source
or avoid these popular holiday food products.
END NOTES:
The Chinese New Year runs for 15 days, starting 18 February.
TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, is a
joint programme of WWF, the conservation organization and
IUCN-The World Conservation Union.
Caroline Liou, Communications/Programme Officer
