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[Ed]

Shark fin soup served in North American Chinese restaurants, including in the Lower Mainland is really blah!  Most of the Chinese restaurants use imitation shark fins. Even the real shark fin soup served in restaurants don't really give me much interest! Almost all of these restaurants have a thick soup base with tiny amount of short strands of shark fin and they charge customers high prices for it.  

I had shark fin soup in China only once at one of the very top seafood restaurants. Surprisingly, it was the best tasting soup I've ever had in my life. The soup itself had hundreds of long strands of shark fin from a very large shark. The soup was thick, only because it was filled with massive amounts of strands of fins like noodles. It was like a noodle soup, but the noodles were all shark fins. It was the most memorable food dish I've had in my life.  

Sharkfin soup is a cultural dish for centuries and it shouldn't really be banned. Back in the past, those who caught sharks used of whole thing, and they just happened to use the fins as food.

It's only just recently that sharks have been harvested wastefully by fisherman worldwide. Majority of sharks caught for shark fins have levels of mercury content therefore no one wants to buy shark meat.

If people want change, educate and target the fisherman and the government of the nations of the fishermen, not the consumers of shark fins.

There are far more serious issues such as bluefin tuna which is critically endangered, yet the Harper government and Japanese goverment and European countries such as France, Italy and Spain chose not to ban bluefin tuna fishing at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The Harper government cares more about the employment of East Coast Canadian commercial fishermen more than anything else.

Not sure which restaurants you tried in the lower mainland but 41st and Granville has a great Shark Fin restaurant! They cook the fin in a cloth bag so it maintains its shape when they serve it. I totally agree that Shark meat probably contain high levels of heavy metals considering they are pretty high up in the food chain.

In regards to your comment about educating fishermen and their governments. It will probably be impossible for us to make them realize the importance of Sharks when they are in poverty. Governemnts are corrupt and the fishermen could care less about anything else except their own livelihoods. We should feel lucky that we live in Canada and so many people have extra time on their hand to waste to protest about saving sharks. Wish these peoplle would spend their time more wisely and protest against something that is actually productive. Example: oil sands in Alberta and the pipelines being constructed in BC. Canada's population is around 30 million people, and out of the 30 million i wonder how many people actually consume shark fin ? So all this banning and you probably just eliminated less than 1% of overal consumption considering China's population is around 1.3 billion people.

[Bassonator]

As stated before cant wait til its finally banned here in Vancouver.....and the rest of Canada.

[Ed]

As stated before cant wait til its finally banned here in Vancouver.....and the rest of Canada.

Great idea! hurt our restaurant businesses in Vancover so people who do want to eat it can drive to the states or travel to asia to promote their economy!

Honestly might as well limit sport fishing to maximum 1 month a year! This way the fish will only have to deal with the commercial + native fisheries.

[Bassonator]

Great idea! hurt our restaurant businesses in Vancover so people who do want to eat it can drive to the states or travel to asia to promote their economy!

Honestly might as well limit sport fishing to maximum 1 month a year! This way the fish will only have to deal with the commercial + native fisheries.

Dont let the door hit ya on the way out.

[Rodney]

The financial suffering of Chinese restaurants in Richmond is already so evident as you drive down No. 3 Road.

The pathetic excuse that people come up with to satisfy their taste buds, how about grow a spine and say it like it is?

[Ed]

Dont let the door hit ya on the way out.

Thanks for your concern, but luckily for me my strata council has installed automatic doors in my building so accidents like that wont happen! Dont slip on the rocks while fishing... that on the other hand could end up in a mess!

[Ed]

I'm pretty sure not all the restaurants in Richmond have Shark Fin soup on their menu. And the restaurant business is very competative in Richmond so if the recession worsen, there is a high chance less people will go out to eat (since less income = less money to spend). So sarcastic comments about all the restaurants in Richmond is not valid at all. Bigger restaurant chains like Kirin, Sun Siu Wah, etc all depend heavily on weddings and celebrations (usually serves Shark Fin during these type of occasions). It is also those restaurants that also hires tons of people. Less income = less employment = you do the math!

No wonder we are going into a recession with so many "idle" people sitting around that have nothing better to do except for protest against Shark Fin soup. Is there honestly nothing better to protest about? Last time I checked the oil pipes coming from Alberta is probably going to cause tons of environmental damage. Wouldn't protesting about that be a better idea?

Honestly people who practice sport fishing dont really have much to complain about the ethics behind killing sharks for their fins. People who do kill the sharks do it so they can put food on the table for their family. You go fishing to fight a fish for minutes sometimes even hours in some extremes, just so you can satisfy your urge to "fight" a fish, in other words to satisfy your selfish needs you tire a fish out which lowers their chance of survival. There is no argument that a fish will survive longer/better if they aren't exposed to sport fishermen!

Shark Fin consumption in Canada is probably 1% of the entire consumption, so good luck fixing the problem by banning it in Canada while countries like the USA and China still consume it without any regulation. I would assume that Hong Kong itself would add up to more than the total consumption of Shark Fin in Canada.

Then again people from those countries are usually busy working, it's only countries like Canada that people have nothing to do. Dont hate on something like Shark Fin just because "people" spend all week fishing and not working (less work = less income= can't afford Shark Fin soup). Or shame on you if protesting something like Shark Fin Soup makes you feel more "important" in society because the more competant people are doing something else more productive!

[Ed]

Another victory....http://www.globaltvbc.com/cathay+pacific+to+stop+carrying+shark+fins+as+cargo/6442709849/story.html     

You mean another victory for other airlines that do ship it ?

[Tex]

Great idea! hurt our restaurant businesses in Vancover so people who do want to eat it can drive to the states or travel to asia to promote their economy!

Do you really believe that people will stop eating in Vancouver and instead travel to other countries solely to eat shark fin soup on a regular basis?

[Rodney]

Tex, I think I've told you before, don't argue with logic.

[Ed]

Do you really believe that people will stop eating in Vancouver and instead travel to other countries solely to eat shark fin soup on a regular basis?

No i dont, but if it is banned in Vancouver, when people do travel they are more likely to try it (if they have a thing for Shark Fin Soup). But i can bet that if all of Canada (30 million people) stop eating shark fin soup, it wont make any impact on saving the Sharks.

[Tex]

No i dont, but if it is banned in Vancouver, when people do travel they are more likely to try it (if they have a thing for Shark Fin Soup).

If you don't believe banning shark fin soup will cause people to stop eating here and instead travel elsewhere to eat shark fin soup, then why did you write it about 10 posts above? 

But i can bet that if all of Canada (30 million people) stop eating shark fin soup, it wont make any impact on saving the Sharks.

Of course the number of people that eat shark fin soup in this country is much smaller than even the 30 million, which is already nothing more than a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of the world, but even large changes begin with small gestures.  From tiny acorns, mighty oaks do grow!!!

[Ed]

If you don't believe banning shark fin soup will cause people to stop eating here and instead travel elsewhere to eat shark fin soup, then why did you write it about 10 posts above? 

Well people who eat shark fin and can afford it will travel else where to eat it, but to fly to China to have shark fin for dinner is a little extreme. Especially since driving to Seattle is pretty convenient, I bet Shark fin sales there might go up unless they ban it too.

Of course the number of people that eat shark fin soup in this country is much smaller than even the 30 million, which is already nothing more than a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of the world, but even large changes begin with small gestures.  From tiny acorns, mighty oaks do grow!!!

I agree "from tiny acorns, might oaks do drow", but I just think with the same amount of time, we should focus on something that we can create a bigger impact. Banning something that will create 0 impact = waste of time.

[troutbreath]

Well going on and on about someone wanting to ban something seems right up there with "waste of time".

[Ed]

Well going on and on about someone wanting to ban something seems right up there with "waste of time".

Not really considering i'm only sitting in front of a computer typing. Since there is a "risk" of having Shark Fin banned, even though i dont care for it I am heading out for a bowl tonight! I bet shark fin has been selling well in restaurants lately!

For any other people who enjoy this soup, try the restaurant on 41st and Granville, they specialize in Abalone and Shark fin ! you can get a decent quality Shark Fin soup for as low as 20 dollars per person!