Shangri-La removes shark fin from its menus

Invoking its concern for the environment, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts on Tuesday announced that it will stop serving shark fin in all its 72 hotels and resorts effective immediately.   Shangri-La will also stop accepting new orders for shark fin products in banqueting, the Hong Kong-based hotel and restaurant chain said in a statement.   The consumption of shark fin, one of the world’s most expensive fish products, has received criticism for helping deplete a number of shark species.   Shangri-La, which operates five facilities in the Philippines, said it will also phase out Bluefin tuna and Chilean sea bass in all its restaurants within the year.   It noted, however, that it will honor future banquet bookings made before Jan. 17, based on contractual agreements.   The company said this move is part of its Sustainable Seafood Policy – “a continuation of Shangri-La’s journey towards environmental support.”   In the Philippines, legislators have also proposed a ban on shark fin in restaurants.   Overfishing largely threatens with extinction at least 32 percent of open ocean sharks and rays, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).   “Once considered only incidental ‘bycatch,’ these species are increasingly targeted due to new markets for shark meat and high demand for their valuable fins, used in the Asian delicacy shark fin soup,” IUCN said.   “Finning bans have been adopted for most international waters, but lenient enforcement standards hamper their effectiveness,” the group added. — ELR/HS, GMA News