Shark soup discussions on the menu for animal welfare forum

The+Center+for+Civic+Engagement+hosts+a+reflection+on+advocating+for+animal+welfare+in+CUB+406%2C+Tuesday%2C+April+15.

The Center for Civic Engagement hosts a reflection on advocating for animal welfare in CUB 406, Tuesday, April 15.

The ethics of shark fin soup and the issue of animal welfare were called into question last night.

More than a dozen WSU students attended a public forum organized by the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) yesterday to discuss issues associated with animal wellbeing, from local and global angles.  

“Giving a voice to the voiceless is taking the time to consider the animals, both domestic and non, that we interact with aren’t able to communicate the same way that we are,” said Joel Carpenter, a CCE project leader. “We often look at it in the perspective of ‘we’re a dominant species, we have the ability to do what we want,’ but that’s not necessarily true or accurate.”

Shark fin soup originated during the Ming Dynasty of China in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Viewed as a delicacy, shark fin soup is usually served at special events such as weddings, banquets and business affairs. Shark fin adds texture to the soup, while the broth and other ingredients ignite flavor.  

Freshman nursing student Emmalee Scheid said she has no interest in tasting a bowl of shark fin soup anytime soon. Scheid disapproves of the process it takes to retrieve the fins.

“I think it’s actually a pretty cruel process,” she said. “I don’t think that it’s fair that these fishermen are taking only the fins off the shark and using it as just a texture sampling for the soup.”

While numerous countries do ban the sale, trade and possession of shark fins, nations like the U.S. continue to sell shark fin soup but prohibit the act of ‘finning’ along American coastal waters. Animal activists have lobbied state legislators in recent years, according to an article by The Associated Press.

In an effort to protect the underwater creatures, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a law banning the trade of shark fins last year. The law takes effect this summer, according to the same article.

“That type of cruelty should not be allowed because it is harmful for the shark and for the environment that the shark and surrounding fish are living in,” Scheid said.

CCE facilitators sparked discussion by showing students internet video clips depicting the poaching of rhinoceroses and lions in parts of the world where it’s believed that there is great medicinal value in animal body parts.

As Courtney Defrees, a junior business major, said there was no value in the Copenhagen Zoo’s killings of a giraffe and four lions that occurred earlier this year.

“Definitely, the local government of Denmark in Copenhagen needs to step in and take the initiative to shut down that zoo or take out the people who are creating this horrible environment for these animals,” Defrees said. “I think they should have given the animals away rather than to kill them.”