Shark Fin Soup

Shark Fin Soup




魚翅碗裡的風波 。。。。。。！


【加東明報專訊】多倫多市議會昨日終於作出最後表決，以38﹕4壓倒性投票通過建立附例﹐裁定於多倫多內禁止藏有、售賣以及食用(consumption)魚翅食品。

密西沙加市政府雖於本月12日，通過禁止食用魚翅的附例﹐但密西沙加市華商會認為市府無權通有關附例﹐故已去信市府的法律部門﹐挑戰市府有關的決定。華裔會已獲市長麥考蓮邀請﹐於今早9時出席該會特別會議﹐商討魚翅附例問題。但會議具體內容則並不清楚。

密沙加市華商會名譽會長胡子修說﹕「無論如何﹐(於今早會議上)我們都會極力爭取。現在已不是做生意的問題﹐而是立法是錯是對的問題。若為環保而禁魚翅﹐為何如今在超市隨時還買到鯊魚肉﹖」

密西沙加華商會會長朱洪恩認為禁魚翅附例有漏洞﹐他前日表示﹐根據附例﹐所有運輸公司﹐所有有關人士都會被起訴﹐因為密市政府說擁有魚翅屬違法﹐但從聯邦政府來看﹐這是合法的商業貿易。

密市華商會指附例令到本地華裔社區受到不公平的針對﹔而該會又質疑市政府單獨通過附例的權威性。該會相信密市市議會通過這樣的附例﹐是忽略了該市市府法律部門的一個報告﹐稱只有聯邦政府有權禁售及禁食用魚翅﹐市府附例是超出了其權限。

密市於兩周前通過禁食魚翅的附例﹐但至今未有具體細節。但已密市已有餐館被西人食客質問﹐何解餐牌上還有魚翅菜式。

該名酒樓負責人羅先生有點不忿地說﹕「政府剛立法﹐即使要執法﹐都應該有寬限期。就算是馬上執行﹐也不一定馬上要更新餐牌﹗」

羅先生表示﹐由於魚翅屬於貴價品﹐一般來說﹐酒樓不會多入貨﹐即使入貨都是應付婚宴嫁娶。婚宴旺季的夏天已過﹐冬天聖誕又未到﹐故存貨應不多。存備最多貨的應為供應商﹐他估計﹐政府即使立法﹐只要有1年寬限期的話﹐期限前散貨應沒有問題。


加拿大安大略省的幾個市議會通過附例，立法禁止藏有、售賣以及食用(consumption)魚翅食品。布蘭福德，奧克維爾，多倫多，和密西沙加，成為全加拿大暫時四個立法禁魚翅的城市。根據新通過的附例，所有運輸公司﹐所有有關人士都會被起訴﹐因為市政府說擁有魚翅屬違法﹐但從聯邦政府來看﹐這是合法的商業貿易。





根據新通過的附例，初犯者最高罰款5,000元，第二次最高罰款25,000元，第三次觸犯的罰款可達10萬元，就算是藏毒的刑罰都比藏魚翅罰款輕5倍，以後緝魚翅好過緝毒。更可笑是若為生態環保，保護鯊魚的數目而禁魚翅﹐新通過的附例卻沒有禁售其他的鯊魚食品，例如在超市隨時還買到鯊魚肉。


環保分子企圖禁止捕殺稀有的藍鰭吞拿魚，藍鰭吞拿魚刺身是魚生的極品，可惜卻沒有成功禁捕、禁售、禁吃，至今高價的大中細拖奴刺身，仍然是食家們的腹中物，不過因為有價有市有需求，人類已成功經研究出養殖野生藍鰭吞拿魚的方法。還有加拿大每年殺死數以萬計的海豹 Harp seals，包括出生僅只25天幼海獅，加工海豹的皮毛 pelt 是加拿大重要收入的工業。


有沒有魚翅吃，對新一代華裔應沒有必要性，不過看來主流加拿大人是存在雙重標準，針對華裔社會吃魚翅，無怪引來一些旅加華裔的反對，尤其是從事有關魚翅運輸、零售、製作、宴會（餐飲）等等的行業，從業員紛紛發出批評，甚至推到話是種族文化歧視。我認為不需要，也不必要，牽涉到 racism 這層面。


人離鄉賤，到外地：謀生，安居，求學，至到落地生根，以外國為家入籍唱國歌，被稱為華裔XX國人YY國人ZZ國人，不能與主流社會享受到平等。就如豬牛羊雞鴨鵝，已經人工養殖多年，當作人類主要食用肉類來源，只要鯊魚翅有價有市有需求，就有人嘗試養殖方法。今次加拿大魚翅碗裡的風波，尚屬細微小事，未至種族仇恨，沒有人身安全受到威脅，就當作茶餘飯後閒談的話題吧。



補充：
【維基百科】In Canada, the season for the commercial hunt of harp seal is from November 15 to May 15.Most sealing occurs in late March in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and during the first or second week of April off Newfoundland, in an area known as the Front. This peak spring period is generally referred to as the "Canadian Seal Hunt".

In 2003, the three-year harp seal quota granted by Fisheries and Oceans Canada was increased to a maximum of 975,000 animals per three years, with a maximum of 350,000 animals in any two consecutive years. In 2006, 325,000 harp seals, as well as 10,000 hooded seals and 10,400 grey seals were killed. An additional 10,000 animals were allocated for hunting by aboriginal peoples. The current northwest Atlantic harp seal population is estimated at 5.6 million animals.

Although around 70 percent of Canadian seals killed are taken on the Front, private monitors focus on the St. Lawrence hunt, because of its more convenient location.The 2006 St. Lawrence leg of the hunt was officially closed on Apr. 3, 2006; sealers had already exceeded the quota by 1,000 animals. On March 26, 2007 the Newfoundland and Labrador government launched a seal hunt website.

Warm winters in the Gulf of St. Lawrence have led to thinner and more unstable ice there. In 2007, Canada's federal fisheries ministry reported that while the pups are born on the ice as usual, the ice floes have started to break up before the pups learn to swim, causing the pups to drown.

Canada reduced the 2007 quota by 20%, because overflights showed large numbers of seal pups were lost to thin and melting ice. In southern Labrador and off Newfoundland's northeast coast, however, there was extra heavy ice in 2007, and the coast guard estimated as many as 100 vessels were trapped in ice simultaneously.

The 2010 hunt was cut short because demand for seal pelts was down. Only one local pelt buyer, NuTan Furs, offered to purchase pelts; and it committed to purchase less than 15,000 pelts. Pelt prices were about C$21/pelt in 2010, which is about twice the 2009 price and about 64% of the 2007 price. The reduced demand is attributable mainly to the 2009 ban on imports of seal products into the European Union.

The 2010 winter was unusually warm, with little ice forming in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in February and March, when harp seals give birth to their pups on ice floes. Around the Gulf, harp seals arrived in late winter to give birth on near-shore ice and even on beaches rather than on their usual whelping grounds: sturdy sea ice.

Also, seal pups born elsewhere began floating to shore on small, shrinking pieces of ice. Many others stayed too far north, out of reach of all but the most determined hunters. Environment Canada, the weather forecasting agency, reported the ice was at the lowest level on record.

Export
Canada's biggest market for seal pelts is Norway. Carino Limited is one of Newfoundland's largest seal pelt producers. Carino (CAnada–RIeber–NOrway) is marketing its seal pelts mainly through its parent company, GC Rieber Skinn, Bergen, Norway.[53] Canada sold pelts to eleven countries in 2004. The next largest were Germany, Greenland, and China/Hong Kong. Other importers were Finland, Denmark, France, Greece, South Korea, and Russia.

Asia remains the principal market for seal meat exports. One of Canada's market access priorities for 2002 was to "continue to press Korean authorities to obtain the necessary approvals for the sale of seal meat for human consumption in Korea."Canadian and Korean officials agreed in 2003 on specific Korean import requirements for seal meat. For 2004, only Taiwan and South Korea purchased seal meat from Canada.

Canadian seal product exports reached C$18 million in 2006. Of this, C$5.4 million went to the EU. In 2009, the European Union banned all seal imports, shrinking the market. Where pelts once sold for more than $100, they now fetch $8 to $15 each.





伸延閱覽：
明報加東2011-10-26版 mingpaotor.com
shark fin ban cbc.ca
Canada Seal Hunting and Trade wikipedia