Exports of shark fins from Hong Kong to the mainland plummeted by 90 per cent last year, an environmental group has revealed, amid a crackdown on corruption and lavish living in China.
While the amount of shark fin imports to Hong Kong fell from 8,285 tonnes in 2012 to 5,412 in last year, the re-export rate to the mainland dropped far more dramatically, from 1,170 tonnes to just 114 tonnes.
The decrease recorded by WWF-Hong Kong comes amid a crackdown on extravagance in China, as well as a ban on transportation of shark fin by several major airlines. Hong Kong has been the hub for the global shark fin trade for many years.
Vietnam has now overtaken mainland China as Hong Kong’s biggest re-export market.