Traditionally, this gourmet dish has been prized fare, reserved for the elite and truly special occasions. In recent years, however, the demand for sharkfin soup has increased significantly in tandem with growing regional wealth. For example, consumption of sharkfin in Singapore, a nation of three million, is estimated to have increased from 400,000 kilos in 1997 to 500,000 kilos in 1998. Prestigious restaurants in Asia proudly display large shark's fins in their windows. Popular hotel chains offer sharkfin soup at discount prices to attract guests.
Regional airlines offer it to entice firstclass passengers.
Most eager consumers of sharkfin soup probably aren't aware that there's a major problem with the rapid and uncontrolled growth in its popularity. Simply stated, sharks can't keep up. They have been around for some 400 million years and are arguably among the most successful organisms on the planet. Found globally, sharks have adapted to a multitude of environments. Sharks are slow to reproduce.