Victory! Philippine Airlines Agrees to Stop Shipping Shark Fins

Things are definitely beginning to turn up for sharks. Shipments of shark fins between Hong Kong and mainland China are WAY down, the Chinese government has put its foot down against “extravagances” (shark fin soup included), and it’s cracking down on the corrupt channels in which shark fins are traded. Now, environmental and animal advocacy groups have pushed Philippine Airlines to halt all shark fin shipments. Victory!

It seems there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel as all the different social and economic factors swirling around the shark fin industry fall into place. According to Philippine Flight Networks, “nearly 100 individual and advocacy groups” joined together  to urge Philippine Airlines to ban shark fin shipments on their vessels. Previous investigations into the illegal shark fin trade have revealed a Philippine Airline flight carrying 6.5 tons of dried shark fins from Dubai to Hong Kong. Directly implicating the airline in the perpetuation of the shark fin trade, groups appealed to the airline’s claimed commitment to sustainable development as leverage and the airline has agreed to end shipping fins!

With this move, Philippine Airlines has demonstrated its willingness to work with advocacy groups. They also have enacted a ban on the transport of animals for cruel research and experimentation from their planes. Way to go! The shark fin trade is a remarkably cruel industry that is responsible for the slaughter of about 100 million sharks a year. This decision by Philippine Airlines is an awesome step toward the definite end of the illegal shark fin trade, so hats off to Philippine Airlines!

Image Source: Shiyam/Wikipedia Commons