Hong Kong Disneyland revises shark recipe
Hong Kong Disneyland is considering serving only shark fin soup made with fins obtained by non-cruel methods.
Environmentalists, long outraged by the practice of hacking fins off live sharks and leaving them to die, welcomed the news, but said they’d still prefer Disney not serve the traditional Chinese delicacy at all.
The theme park, due to open on September 12, came under fire after it announced shark fin soup would be on the menu at the park’s special banquets, in accordance with local custom.
Disney is now thinking of using only fins from suppliers who kill the shark and use the entire fish, Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post newspaper reported today.
Hong Kong Disneyland spokeswoman Esther Wong declined to confirm the Post report, saying the company had “heard different opinions and comments” on the shark fin controversy, and took the matter seriously.
Martin Baker, a spokesman from the international environmentalist group Greenpeace, called the new policy an improvement, but said his group would still rather see Hong Kong Disneyland completely remove shark fin soup from its menus.
“It’s a small step,” Baker said.
However, he warned several shark species were endangered and that continued consumption of the fins would lead to their extinction.
Environmentalists say millions of sharks are killed each year for their fins.
Hong Kong Disneyland had earlier defended serving shark fin as a form of respect for local culture.
The Post also quoted an unidentified source as saying some Hong Kong teachers had discussed the shark fin row with their students in class, and that the development “has obvious implications for Disney’s customer base”.
The park is a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the Hong Kong government.
