You Have To Appreciate What Disney Is Doing Here...

Disney's ill-fated decision to offer shark-fin soup at wedding banquets in Hong Kong has done much to raise the issue of degraded shark populations around the world caused by the overharvesting for the dish. This is a golden opportunity for environmentalists and I hope that they can convert this into something that is ongoing.

Disney's claim that they will..

Other than stressing it will only source shark fins from ``reliable and responsible suppliers'' that adhere to relevant international treaties, Disney last week said the dish will be taken off the banquet menus but will remain available to customers who request it.

So, now environmentalists argue that it is nearly impossible to determine the source of the fins and that there are no known shark farms. So it is impossible to offer the dish on an environmentally friendly basis.

But now that there is momentum with this issue, the environmentalists need to figure out how to convert the anti-Disney posturing into something that is more effective in either lowering the demand here in Hong Kong or restricting the trading of this good. I wonder how this issue plays with the Chinese language press here in Hong Kong? Is it getting the level of coverage that it deserves or is it being relegated to the back pages?