After reading the report "Fake shark fins may be infiltrating the Taiwan market" (Nov. 24, page 2) I felt terrible.
I do believe that I have eaten fake shark fin in open-air banquets, but I don't think that I could eat the real thing.
About a year ago, one of my classmates gave a touching report in class.
She showed many pictures of people who were hurting sharks.
What I saw were bleeding animals whose fins had been cut.
They hadn't been killed, but they were seriously injured and would die in the end. At the end of the presentation, I decided to refuse to eat shark fin.
I suggest that the government and activist groups publicize the cruel behavior of the people who mutilate sharks.
A great number of sharks have died because of the "delicious" fins that humans enjoy.
People can live without eating fins, but sharks can't live without them.
Perhaps the government could give food manufacturers incentives to make alternative foods -- products that have a shark fin flavor but which pose no threat to human health.
Those who take pity on de-finned sharks must be willing to choose alternatives and discourage the market for the real thing.
Chen Mei-ling
Hsinchu
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