It’s considered a delicacy and a traditional cure, but a new group in Calgary is leading the effort to make this city shark fin free.
Shark Fin Free Calgary hopes this city will follow the lead of Brantford, ON, which recently passed a shark fin ban — the first community in the country to do so. As part of their campaign, the people behind Shark Fin Free Calgary are protesting the sale of shark fin soup and other products in the city.
According to their web site, one pound of dried shark fin can fetch upwards of $300 and demand for them is increasing. The demand and the price shark fins can fetch has caused the practice of shark finning to grow, the site says. “Shark specialists estimate that 73 million sharks are killed for their fins, annually. This high demand has lead to a 90 percent decline in shark populations and it is estimated that most, if not all, shark populations could be gone within a decade,” the site reads.
The group is encouraging locals to get involved by reaching out to council members (via twitter) or printing out and signing a petition.
The website also lists Calgary restaurants that are shark-fin free.
Find them on twitter (@SharkFinFreeYYC) and on Facebook or check out their website www.sharkfinfreecalgary.com.