Shark fin soup debate heats up in Calgary

Some Chinese Calgarians are asking city council to reverse its decision toban the distribution and sale of shark fins in the city.

Council followed a number of North American cities invoting for the ban earlier this summer.

Shark fins are often used insoup, and the delicacy isprepared in Chinese kitchens across the city asa symbol of ''respect" something Chinese Calgarians say was missing in how city council handled the shark fin issue.

"People are feeling upset because they weren't talked to and they weren't listened to," saidJason Au with the Calgary Chinese Merchants Association.

He says he read about the ban ina localpaper,and when hewent from restaurant to restaurant many didn't know about it.

Millions of sharks are killed every year for their fins, and many times the fins are cut off and the sharks are thrown back into the water alive to die slowly.

Ald. Brian Pincott, who brought the idea of the banto council, said finning sharks unsustainablycould eventually lead to extinctionandshark fins are alsodangerous for humans because of the mercury content.

But some in the community feel city council voted on something most aldermen really didn't understand.

Ban shocks members of Chinese community

Au says Canada already has legislation in place to make sure shark fins sold in the country are fished sustainably, and policing what they can put on the table is overkill.

Annette Fung at the Silver Dragon Restaurant in Chinatownsays she was shocked when she heard about the impending ban. She said shark fin soup isa Chinese delicacy ordered as a treat on special occasions.

"All of a sudden my customers don't have that freedom of choice anymore," she said.

Fung is among about500 mostly Chinese Calgarians who havesigned a petition opposing the ban.

About60 of them attended a town hall meetingTuesday night.

Eva Seto was at the meeting and said city council is banning a family traditionfor hera recipe that has been passed down from her grandmother.

"It will be so sad, actually, so sad," she said.

Thosebehind thepetitionwould like topresent it to the citybefore the bylaw banning the sale of shark fins is expected to come back to city council this fall.