SFFA is comprised of a diverse range of individuals from the Auckland community with a common goal: to see our city shun the unsustainable trade in shark fins.
Shark fins are traded extensively worldwide as a delicacy in Asian cuisines, as well as in Eastern medicine for the alleged powers they confer to the user. Thirty years ago, shark fin soup and similar dishes were only eaten on special occasions such as weddings and banquets, and then only by very rich or powerful people. The expansion of the middle classes in Asia has led to a great rise in demand for shark fin as a status symbol.
Local menu with $300 shark fin dish
As large predators, sharks play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of life in our oceans. They are long lived creatures and often slow to breed, which means that they are very vulnerable to overfishing. With over 100 million sharks being killed each year (20 million Blue sharks solely for their fins), it is estimated that only 10% of the world’s sharks now remain.
Because of the high value of shark fin (up to US$700/kg) and the low value of shark meat, it is common practice for fishers remove the fins and simply dump the body, often still alive, back into the sea.
In New Zealand, it is still legal to kill sharks solely for their fins, and to trade in these fins and export them. SFFA wants to put a stop to this.
To achieve our goal, we find and name restaurants, suppliers and distributors that trade in shark fin, and expose their practices to the Auckland public so that they can withhold their custom from these businesses. We also politely educate these businesses on why their practices are wrong, and applaud those who choose not to trade in shark fin.
