Aug. 9, 2009
Swimming With Sharks
Shark Tourism Is A Booming Industry, Bob Simon Reports.
-
Play CBS Video Video Swimming With Sharks Because tour operators use food to attract sharks for their "shark tourist" customers, critics say surfers and swimmers are in more danger now because the fish are associating humans with food.
-
(CBS)
Why is this happening?
The answer boils down, literally, to soup. Shark fin soup. In China, it’s been an expensive status symbol for millennia. Chefs in the emperor’s court were once beheaded if they prepared it incorrectly. But these days, with China booming, more people can pay $100 for a bowl. Finning sharks is a billion-dollar business, and it’s not a pretty sight.
That's because as soon as a shark is caught, his fins are cut off and he is thrown overboard, alive, to sink to the bottom and drown. In South Africa and a few other countries, it’s a crime to do that. But given the high price of soup, it's a very common crime.
What’s a fin worth? A large one can cost thousands of dollars. And the black market in fins is tough to police because most of the sharks are caught in international waters where there's no law against finning.
But on land, laws can be enforced. In Cape Town recently, authorities raided several processing plants owned by Hong Kong Chinese. Seven tons of fins were confiscated.
It's not the shark's fault that we have demonized him for so long. Besides, we need our demons. They've been with us, in our minds, as long as gods. So the next time you're in a Chinese restaurant and feel like some soup, why not stick to the egg drop, or the wonton. Give the shark a break.
By Michael Gavshon and Solly Granatstein
© MMIX, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Recent Segments
Scroll Left Scroll Right


Adrienne, Dave,
Bodie, Luke and Quinn Nash
thank you