A Hong Kong-based airliner said it would no longer allow carrying shark fins on its cargo flights, responding to mounting pressure from environmental groups.
Environmentalists hailed the decision by Cathay Pacific, the world’s largest cargo carrier, to end the shipping of shark fin into Hong Kong as a major victory against the trade.
“Cathay Pacific has decided to stop shipping unsustainably sourced sharks and shark-related products,” the airline said, according to the South China Morning Post.
“The carrier expects the transition to this new policy will take approximately three months as it notifies shippers and puts the appropriate procedures in place. However, effective immediately, Cathay Pacific will not enter into any new contracts in this regard.”
Environmentalists have estimated that Cathay was flying as much as half of all the shark fin into Hong Kong. Shark fin soup is considered a delicacy in both China and Hong Kong, but fishermen must capture the sharks, cut the fins, and throw the sharks back into the water to die--a practice that is widely considered to be lacking in pity.
“Due to the vulnerable nature of sharks, their rapidly declining population, and the impact of overfishing for their parts and products, our carriage of these is inconsistent with our commitment to sustainable development,” Cathay added.
Citing government data, more than 10,000 tons of shark fin were imported into Hong Kong last year, of which 13 percent was via air cargo planes, Cathay said. Twenty to 50 percent of the air cargo planes were operated by Cathay.
Conservation group Stop Shark Finning, via its Twitter account, hailed Cathay’s decision as “good news.”
