A coalition of NGOs and WildAid’s ambassador Pong Nawat Kulrattanarak hand-delivered an open letter to the Prime Minister of Thailand on Tuesday calling for urgent action to end consumption of shark fin at all government events.
The government came under heavy criticism from the public after local media reported that shark fin soup had been served at an official banquet on December 3rd, a day before Thai Environment Day. A public outcry led by media commentators and social media posts went viral with WildAid’s campaign message “Celebrate with #NoSharkFin.”
“We want the entire country to join us in saying no to shark fin,” said Pong Nawat while delivering the letter. “The one entity that can help us in this is the government, which can serve as a role model by helping us reduce the demand for shark fin.”
The open letter was accepted by the Permanent Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office, Theeraphat Prayoonsithi, a high-ranking official who has served as Director-General of the Royal Forestry Department.
“First of all, I must thank all of you for your concern on wildlife and marine animal conservation, and also the social media community that has always been helpful in shining the light on conservation issues. The letter submitted today will be discussed in our meeting and will be presented to the Prime Minister,” Prayoonsithi said.
At around the same time as the delivery of the letter, a reporter asked Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at the Government House of Thailand about being served shark fin soup at the banquet. The Prime Minister responded that he had not eaten shark fin, he was busy talking about other matters at the party, and was still hungry when he returned home. He did say though that in the future he will not eat shark fin.
The NGO coalition includes WildAid, Seub Nakhasathien Foundation, Greenpeace Thailand, Nature Play, Freeland Foundation, and Learn Club, Shark Guardian, Love Wildlife Foundation, Bird Conservation Society of Thailand and Manta Trust (Thailand).
With Thailand’s status as a significant market and the lack of awareness about shark conservation, WildAid is pushing for a new social norm where Thais consider shark fin socially unacceptable, as well as a new standard where sharks are permanently off the menu.
Celebrate With #NoSharkFin
As WildAid has long-recognized that urgent action is needed in Thailand before consumer demand escalates further, we launched our “#NoSharkFin” initiative July 2018 with Pong as the campaign ambassador. His billboards and PSAs, which can be seen all over Bangkok, call on the public to forgo shark fin at all celebratory events, such as weddings, family celebrations and business meetings.
According to WildAid’s survey findings, more than half (57%) of urban Thais have eaten shark fin and, even more alarmingly, 61% plan to consume it again in the future. Survey respondents said they consumed shark fin most often at celebratory events such as weddings (72%), family meals at restaurants (61%) and business meetings (47%)
“Since, the campaign launch we have seen that the Thai public are increasingly aware of the threats facing sharks which is why the news of a government-sponsored dinner serving shark fin was received with considerable criticism on social media platforms,” said John Baker, Chief Program Officer at WildAid. “As a country with such a rich marine heritage, which supports important coastal resources and tourism, we hope that Thailand can become a leader in shark protection and ocean conservation.”
The shark fin trade is depleting shark populations, putting many species at risk of extinction, while also causing environmental degradation and fisheries collapse. An estimated 100 million sharks are killed every year and fins from up to 73 million end up in shark fin soup.
Consumer Demand Reduction Works
In 2013, the People’s Republic of China banned shark fin soup at official banquets nationwide. That year, the Hong Kong SAR government also followed suit with a complete ban on the consumption of shark fin by all government officials and civil servants.
Various media and trade sources estimate around a 50-70% reduction in China due to our campaign and subsequent government bans on shark fin at state banquets. This is further substantiated by reports of reductions of up to 80% in fin prices at the dock compared to 2007 levels, leading to decreased fishing efforts for sharks. Estimated wholesale shark fin sales in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou also declined by 81% from 2010 to 2014.
Unsustainable Fisheries Threaten Ocean Health
Shark fin consumption not only is pushing shark species to the brink of extinction, but destroys marine biodiversity in the process. They function as the immune system of the ocean, and like white blood cells they combat diseases by feeding on dead, weak, or sick animals, strengthening the gene pool by keeping lower trophic level populations healthy and in balance.
“Sharks are vital to the balance of the ocean’s ecosystem and we need to realize that before it’s too late,” said Pong. ”I urge everyone to say no to shark fin and all shark-related menus, and help protect the oceans by making no shark fin the new norm for all occasions.”
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WildAid is a non-profit organization with a mission to protect wildlife from illegal trade and other imminent threats. While most wildlife conservation groups focus on protecting animals from poaching, WildAid primarily works to reduce global consumption of wildlife products such as elephant ivory, rhino horn and shark fin soup. With an unrivaled portfolio of celebrity ambassadors and a global network of media partners, WildAid leverages more than $308 million in annual pro-bono media support with a simple message: When the Buying Stops, the Killing Can Too.
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