|
Photos shot in Hong Kong this week show more than 18-thousand shark fins drying on the roofs of industrial buildings. The fins are spread neatly in patterns under a warm sun. The images present just a fraction of the shark finning that takes place every year. It's estimated around 75-million sharks are killed every year for their fins, which are considered a delicacy in certian parts of China. Gary Stokes is with the Sea Shepard Society in Hong Kong. "They used to dry the fins out in the street, a lot of the public -- there was a big public outcry. Tourism -- it doesn't look good when tourists are coming to town, seeing all these dead sharks on the street. Last year our video we found went viral, it's all around the world. They've obviously decided to try and hide their ugly game and they went up to the roofs." In spite of the negative publicity surrounding shark fin soup, many shops in Hong Kong still specialize in selling it. Leung Wing-chiu owns a dried seafood shop. "These are the views of foreigners. If they have taken the shark meat, why can't the shark fins be used too? You have killed the shark anyway. Some say the sharks are thrown back into the sea after their fins are cut off. I don't think this is necessarily the case. It just so happened that some happened to film the fishermen throwing them back." | 
