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Ask China to take action to cut the consumption of shark fin soup! Contact your local embassy.
Shark fin soup is a traditional and expensive Chinese dish that has become very popular over the last few years due to the increased wealth of the Chinese middle class. The unsustainable demand for this dish is pushing sharks to the brink of extinction and threatening our oceans. As the majority of the demand for shark fins originates in China, the Chinese government must bear the greatest responsibility for reducing the demand for shark fins. Take part in this campaign and tell your local Chinese embassy that you want to see urgent action taken immediately. A sample letter, with the main points, is shown below, although it is always better to use your own words if possible - it takes a little more time but the impact is greater. Address the email or letter to the ambassador of the embassy. Please contact us if you receive a reply. Click here to find your nearest Chinese embassy. Direct links to the contact information for some embassies are below: United
States - use email: chinaembassy_us@fmprc.gov.cn Dear [insert ambassador's name here] I am writing to ask for your help, and the Chinese government's help, to save sharks. As you may know, many species of sharks are in danger of extinction, and stocks of most shark species have fallen drastically in the last ten to twenty years. The main reason for this is the consumption of shark fin soup at unsustainable levels. Shark fin soup has been a traditional Chinese dish for hundreds of years, however, it is only since China's rapid economic growth that shark fin soup has been eaten in such large quantities, due to the increased wealth of the Chinese middle class. It is vital that action to curb the consumption of shark fin soup is taken immediately for the following reasons: 1. Primarily, many shark species will become extinct if nothing is done. This benefits nobody - not even those people who eat shark fin soup. The removal of sharks, which are an apex predator, from the marine ecosystem, is having unforeseen and damaging consequences on the health of the ocean. Sharks have lived in the oceans for 400 million years. What right do we have to exterminate them in a few decades? 2. From a human health perspective, shark fins have been shown to contain a high level of mercury. The FDA (USA) recommends that women who are, or who may become pregnant, and young children, do not eat shark. 3. China is perceived by many (correctly or incorrectly) to have a poor record on animal welfare issues. Taking active steps to reduce the consumption of shark fin soup would go a long way towards improving the image that people have of China in this respect. I am asking the Chinese government to take the following measures: 1. Consult with shark conservation organisations in order to implement a ban on the killing and trade in all sharks for as long as is necessary for shark populations to return to safe levels. 2. Thereafter, to only trade and kill sharks at sustainable levels. 3. To put enforcement systems in place to ensure that the previous two measures are effective. 4. To educate the Chinese public about the problems that the consumption of shark fin soup is causing, and to encourage them not to eat it. Please reply to advise what steps will be taken towards reducing the consumption of shark fin soup.
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