Local Restaurant Owner Won´t Sell Shark Fin Soup

 
In the vein of "You are what you eat" a La Paz restaurant owner decides to put his business where his mouth is in protecting the environment.

In the last decade worldwide shark populations have plummeted. Acoording to studies recently completed in the Atlantic Ocean some shark populations have dropped by as much as 80%. Here in the Baja the fishermen can still find sharks but they have to go farther and farther out and even then only to find smaller sharks. There aren´t many big ones left. At one point the Sea of Cortez contributed as much as 20% of the worldwide catch of sharks and rays.

A big part of this problem is the growing demand for shark fin soup. This delicacy is served at Chinese restaurants all over the world, even here in Los Cabos and in La Paz. For those who are unaware, shark fin soup is an age old dish prepared using the cartilage in sharks fins. The fin is boiled, then bleached, then boiled again to soften the cartilage to a pasta like consistency. Flavor is added using chicken base or bouillon. So what does shark fin soup taste like? Like chicken soup of course.

In Hong Kong, China and Taiwan the soup is is served at weddings and banquets and indicates that the host is well off because the per bowl price can be as high as $100US. A a status symbol it is similar to eating caviar in the US or Europe. Because Asia is booming economically, sales of shark fin soup are way up while shark populations plummeting at an alarming rate.
 

Arturo Armenta, owner of a Chinese restaurant on 5 de Febrero in La Paz called Che Che Chino, has decided he won´t sell sharkfin soup. ¨I want to be part of protecting the environment and not part of destroying it.¨ says Armenta. ¨All over the world there are less sharks everyday because of the growing demand for this soup. My restaurant is one place you won´t see sharks or their fins.¨

Che Che Chino is the first Chinese restaurant in the Baja to refuse to sell shark fin soup and Armenta hopes to set an example for others to follow. As part of a international campaign against the sale of shark fin soup, Iemanya Oceanica, a La Paz based conservation group supports Che Che Chino´s decision not to sell products from highly endangered sharks. ¨We are very happy to see this restaurant and it´s owner refuse to sell shark fin soup. We are encouraging our members and the public in general to go to Che Che Chino and support environmentally concientious restaurant owners. You can help the environment and at the same time help yourself to some good chinese food,¨ said Jose Arturo Elizalde of Iemanya Oceanica.

Sharks and rays play a critical role in the oceans helping to maintain the balance of predators and prey. Sharks often eat sick or diseased animals keeping the overall ocean healthy and preventing the spread of diseases. Here in the Baja, sharks like the hammerhead and whale shark, as well as giant manta rays, contribute to a growing ecotourism industry. Whale sharks and giant manta rays can be seen in La Paz Bay and Los Angeles Bay in the Sea of Cortez.

For more information please visit http://www.Iemanya.org or call the La Paz office at 011-52-612-123-5425