Although multiple Asian cultures support the consumption of shark fin through using

cultural traditions as an excuse, I am not persuaded. Numerous Asian cultures who eat Shark fin
soup say that its consumption is only due to keeping alive an age-old tradition. A tradition in
which studies has shown has not been practiced for its original intentions or a few hundred years
However, I as numerous others believe it is ethically wrong and morally grotesque. Those who
oppose the soup may say shark consumption creates health issues, destroys other aquatic food
chains while those who support it feel that it keeps alive rich histories that have seemingly been
forgotten.
Shark fin soup statistically has been proven to carry high levels of the Cyanobacterial
Neurotoxin -N-Methylamino-L-alanine (Hammeschlag&Mash) .Essentially what this
neurotoxin does is decay brain matter and lead to neurodegenerative diseases such as
Alzheimers and ALS. This is where the opposition of consuming the soup comes into play.
Setting aside all ethical and moral dilemmas, the soup itself is hazardous to the consumers
health. With increasing runoff into oceans this toxin bioaccumulates in the sharks themselves
(Hammerschlag &Mash). Then once their fins are cut off the toxin remains in the fins until it
reaches the consumers body. At that point this toxin makes its way through its consumer.
Whether the belief is held that the soup should or should not be consumed, it has a high potential
of physical harm.
From a moral and ethical level shark fin soup consumption leads to complete destruction
of aquatic habitats. When sharks are slaughtered for their fins at a habitual rate, they cannot
repopulate at an equivalent rate. (Brierly 2007) They mature at an older age, and only produce
two or three offspring upon mating. With this combined with the huge loss in population it leads
to a complete disruption in the food chain. Since shark fin soup is in high demand, the
combination of slow repopulation, and increased hunting of sharks, their population falls
drastically. The prey that the sharks feed on now are beginning to be found in excess. This excess
prey then begins to consume too much of its predator and completely throws off the entire food
chain. Thus, a butterfly effect is created and multiple populations suddenly are thrown into orbit
possibly leading to the downfall of our oceans ecosystems. Without any of our oceanic
ecosystems, the world as we know it would suffer at such an intensity that most coastal regions
will lead to not only a population crash, but an economic one.
With these factors considered, there is one simple argument that causes shark destruction
to seem valid; culture. In 968 AD an emperor wanted to display how wealthy and powerful he
was. By serving shark fin soup at banquets, it displayed to his guests that he was generous, and
by many it was taken as a sign of respect (Hacker 2013). Even back then the texture was the
main focus for the appeal of the soup. For many, this texture added an increased quality of taste.
Hacker, a man who grew up in Southeast Asia once believed this tradition made complete
sense. However, once he was older he noted that the reason his family ate the soup was not due
to tradition, but due to personal desire for eating a tasty soup. Hacker as well as others in South
East Asia have reported that these cultures do not even consume the soup for tradition anymore.
This is partly due to financials of the soup with it being upwards of a hundred dollars. Many also
state that it is a cultural tradion that has died out (Gillespie 2010). My point here is that there is
absolutely nothing wrong with cultural tendencies. There are however issues behind people using
culture as an excuse to eat soup that disrupts and destroys entire ecosystems.