Marina Bay Sands Casino Resort in Singapore announced Wednesday that it was suspending shark fin services. The property, part of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation portfolio, will remain shark fin-free at convention centers and self-managed restaurants, it said in a statement.
"Removing shark fins from the menus of various business units is a bold testament to our commitment to reducing our environmental impact," said Kevin Teng, head of sustainability at Marina Bay Sands, in a statement.
The casino resort is the latest of several Singapore-based companies to boycott shark fins after years of lobbying by animal rights activists.
Resorts World Sentosa, another casino in Singapore managed by Genting Singapore Plc, does not offer shark fins, according to its website.
Singapore is the world's second largest shark fin trading hub after Hong Kong, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
In many parts of Asia, shark fins are considered a delicacy and are often served in soup at expensive Chinese banquets.
However, environmentalists oppose shark fins as cruel and wasteful because they are frequently cut off from living sharks and then dumped back into the ocean. They also say that they are leading to a sharp decline in the shark population.
Recent surveys show that trade and consumption of shark fins are declining in China.
Recent data from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce suggest that exports from Hong Kong to mainland China fell by 30 percent in 2013. In addition, according to Wild Aid, a U.S. environmental protection organization, fin market prices in Macau and other eastern ports that supply mainland China are estimated to have fallen by 20 percent to 30 percent year-on-year.
BY: 에볼루션 바카라사이트