Amos Atlantis

With the Chinese New Year season approaching, STOMPer Jennifer wants to warn Singaporeans about the long term environmental effects of consuming and supporting the shark’s fin industry.

According to the STOMPer, the excessive killing of sharks for their fins will damage the ocean’s eco-system, and affect sources of seafood for future generation.

"We are hitting peak season, for a profit-driven, multi-billion dollar industry that has seemingly unstoppable potential of eventually causing the demise of our future generations.

"But hey, isn’t it a wonder that we are the ones fuelling this industry through our own demands; demands coming from people who either don’t know or don’t care.

"Shark fin trading is no longer just about protecting declining shark populations – it’s about protecting our future generations.

"Sharks prey on fishes that feeds on phytoplankton, hence controlling population of the plankton feeders. With the decline of sharks population, we can expect a sharp, steady decline in phytoplankton which is responsible for taking in carbon dioxide (the culprit for global warming) and turning them into oxygen in the water.

"Killing of sharks at the current merciless rates will greatly impact the entire ocean’s oxygen supply and eco-system.

"We rely on the ocean for food and we are causing damage that is serious enough to destroy our major food source – the prawns, tuna, snappers, etc fishes that you used to have on your plates may not be available in generations to come if the entire ocean dies.

"Let’s not forget the fact that the Earth is made up of 70% water, and that water cycle is such that water from the sea will evaporate and form part of the air that we breathe.

"Singaporeans are living right where a large portion of the fins are traded annually. This means we have control over the situation, we have the option of saying no, and we have the ability of influencing and reducing the demand for shark fin.

"It is questionable why we are paying so much for a “delicacy” that we don’t even know what it actually taste like. Simply because the fins are tasteless.

"What we are actually enjoying, is the taste of chicken / pork stock, alongside other ingredients that gives flavor to the dish. And to think that the insistence of buying tasteless food and paying for them at ridiculous prices, is a mockery on its own.

"If Singaporean loves hanging the statement “Rules are meant to be broken” around their lips, why then are we so obedient in continuing the fin-eating Chinese tradition, which we should have long neglected? If so many Singaporeans seek to be a class on our own, casting aside associations we have of our natives, why then are we following our natives blindly on such a tradition?

"If you are eating shark fins this Chinese New Year, think twice if you have plans carrying forth your next generation."