Contest urges weddings to go shark-free
A contest aimed at getting shark fin off wedding reception menus launches Valentine's Day.
Shark Truth will begin accepting applications Feb. 14 from Canadian couples of partial or full Chinese descent who pledge to not serve shark fin soup at their wedding reception.
Happy Hearts Love Sharks is an annual contest organized by the three-year-old non-profit group. Applicants will make their pledge online, and public voting—which opens on World Oceans Day June 8—will decide the winner.
Shark fin soup is a Chinese delicacy that is commonly served at wedding receptions as a symbol of status and respect. But according to Shark Truth founder Claudia Li, it's also leading to the "mass decimation" of sharks.
In a recent posting on the Shark Truth website, Li said 73 million sharks are poached for their fins each year—a rate that could drive 25 species to extinction this century.
"The Chinese consumer is one of the many culprits in this cause, and it is indeed up to us to change some of our customs..." wrote Li.
"Some businesses argue that the shark fin they import is being imported legally and they’re not doing anything wrong. This is exactly the problem: the legislation that exists in fisheries management today to protect sharks is limited in quantity and in power to enforce. This is why we need to start from the demand-side of the equation."
A six-day cruise to the Galapagos Islands will be awarded to the winning couple in the Happy Hearts Love Sharks contest. The islands are known as one of the top diving and snorkelling destinations in the world, where encounters with hammerhead sharks and whale sharks are common.
With 65 couples previously pledging to protect sharks through the contest, 9,500 bowls of shark fin soup from wedding receptions, according to Shark Truth.
For couples to qualify for the contest's latest edition, the wedding date must be between April 2011 and December 2012. The winner will be announced at the end of July.
Couples can apply to the contest at happyheartslovesharks.org beginning Feb. 14.
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