A global effort to save the sharks reached Singapore’s shores on Tuesday.
For the first time, local celebrities and conservationists stood in unison at a public concert, SharkAid 2012, at Cathay Cineleisure.
The event is organised by Animal Concerns Research & Education Society (ACRES) and Shark Savers Singapore.
Singapore, which is the first stop of SharkAid, has one of the highest per capita consumers of shark fin soup.
It ranks second, behind Hong Kong, in the size of the trade in shark fins.
In a survey of 500 Singaporeans, half of the respondents who consume shark fin soup said they continue to consume the soup because the dish was placed in front of them and they didn’t want to see the food wasted.
A carnival was also held to engage Singaporeans on the role of sharks in the marine ecosystem.
Jonn Lu, director at Shark Savers Singapore, said: “Singaporeans are foodies and we love our food. If we want our chilli crab, lobsters or stir fried prawns, it is in our selfish interest to save sharks because without sharks, all commercial fisheries are going to be affected.”
SharkAid 2012 is part of the international Shark Savers movement with some 24,000 members in 99 countries.
This article was first published in CNA