Singapore’s supermarkets shun sharks

shark

Campaigning, changing tastes and environmental responsibility have all played a role in helping to reduces demand for shark fin product in Singapore. But a single Facebook status update may have been the one of the most effective ways of reducing availability of shark fin in a major supermarket chain – and the update came from a shark fin supplier.

NTCU FairPrice, Singapore’s largest supermarket chain, has announced that it will not be restocking it’s stores with shark fin products once their current stocks and pre-order arranges run out. They expect the 100 stores that make up the chain to be shark fin free by the end of March.

Did a Facebook status update save sharks?

While FairPrice have reported that the decision to remove shark fin products from their shelves was a reflection of their aims to be a socially and environmentally responsible company – it is a trades union owned co-operative – many believe the real reason was a Facebook message made by one of their suppliers which has led to a call for a boycott of FairPrice.

The Facebook message by a senior employee of Thern Da Seafood stated ‘Screw the divers’ referring to a group of divers campaigning against the killing of sharks. The remark was made during the launch of a new product range.

The status update led to many complaints on FairPrice Facebook page and the comment resulted in a campaign to boycott both Thern Da Seafood products and FairPrice stores.

3 major supermarket chains stop selling shark fin.

The commitment of FairPrice stores to stop selling shark fin products is the third major supermarket chain in Singapore to make that commitment in recent months.

The first supermarket chain to announce its ending of selling shark fin products was Cold Storage who made the stance in October 2011.

A a day after the FairPrice decision Carrefour made the announcement that it would no longer be replenishing its shark fin stocks at the supermarkets it operates in Singapore. It will also stop selling shark fin products once current stocks run out.

A growing campaign to boycott supermarkets that sell shark fin products is gaining momentum and other supermarkets are expected to follow the lead set by the big three.

Hotels and restaurants join the campaign against shark fin.

It’s not just supermarket chains that are changing their business to reflect a new awareness of the plight of the shark in Singapore. Major restaurants and hotels are playing their role.

Luxury resort hotel Fairmont Singapore has taken shark fin off its menu completely and Accor Group have placed notices on their menus at the Novotel Singapore and Grand Mercure Roxy hotel asking customers not to order shark fin meals from their menu.

Demand for shark fin drops 15% in 2 years.

Its been estimated that demand for shark fin products in Singapore has dropped by up to 15% in the last 2 years as people become aware of the threats to shark.

Singapore still has a long way to go to stop being a major customers for shark fins but with so many places now moving away from stocking a supplying the product it will not be long before Singapore is no longer the second biggest market for shark fin in the world.