Shangri-la Hotels and Resorts yesterday announced that it was stopping the sale of shark’s fin at its 72 properties worldwide, with immediate effect.
The Hong Kong-based chain will also halt the sale of bluefin tuna and Chilean sea bass by the end of the year. But banquet bookings made before yesterday will be honoured, it said.
The announcement came two weeks after FairPrice and Carrefour supermarket chains said they would halt the sale of shark’s fin, joining Cold Storage, which stopped the practice last September.
Among hotels, the Fairmont Singapore was one of the first to stop serving shark’s fin completely. It has also removed Chilean sea bass and bluefin tuna - which are also overfished - from its menu.
Other hotels, such as Amara Singapore and The Fullerton, still serve shark’s fin soup during wedding banquets but provide alternatives when asked.
To encourage customers to hold shark’s fin-free wedding banquets, luxury resort Capella Singapore is giving wedding couples one night’s free accommodation and a certificate of acknowledgement for their contribution to conservation.
Ms Priscilla Chua, its senior director of catering and conference services, said many couples who are environmentally conscious are pressured by their elders into serving shark’s fin soup.
She added: ‘We hope to alleviate this familial pressure by offering a further incentive of presenting the certificate to the couple during the dinner.’
In recent years, consumption of shark’s fin - considered a delicacy in traditional Chinese culture - has been a controversial issue. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, six species of shark are considered critically endangered.
