Shark Fin Soup

Shark fin soup, a status dish at Chinese banquets, drives the killing of an estimated 73 million sharks annually — often by cutting off their fins and discarding the living shark back into the ocean. Conservation groups have campaigned to ban the practice, and demand has fallen significantly in China. But the debate touches on cultural sensitivity: critics are accused of Western imperialism for targeting a Chinese tradition while ignoring industrial fishing practices that kill far more marine life.