IT GAVE us Finding Nemo, the cutie blockbuster about a clownfish and his aquatic friends. But now The Walt Disney Company is under fire for plans that conservationists say will push some shark species closer to extinction.
Disney is proposing to serve shark-fin soup at expensive 鈥淔airytale鈥� wedding banquets at the Disneyland hotel in Hong Kong when it opens in September.
Critics including World Wildlife Fund and Greenpeace say that the shark-fin trade endangers sharks, especially large species like the great white, basking and whale sharks. A report published last October by the conservation monitoring group TRAFFIC East Asia found that around 10,000 tonnes of shark fins are harvested each year. Half of this catch is imported by Hong Kong, where demand is rising at 6 per cent a year.
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Disney鈥檚 environmental policy states, 鈥淏ecause our organisation has held a unique position of public confidence and trust for more than 50 years, we are keenly aware of our ability to influence public opinion and inspire action.鈥� On conservation, the corporation vows to 鈥渆ffectively plan and manage conservation lands for the preservation of native plant and animal species鈥�.
But these promises ring hollow, say conservationists. 鈥淒isney is being inconsistent,鈥� says Brian Darvell, former chairman of the Hong Kong Marine Conservation Society. 鈥淚t is sending a cynical message: that it鈥檚 OK to abandon your principles for the sake of a few bucks.鈥�
When New 杏吧原创 went to press Disney had not responded to our requests for comment. But in the South China Morning Post the company has defended its position, claiming that shark fin soup would only be offered on special request. It adds that since the dish is customary at Chinese banquets, even if the Hong Kong hotel did not serve it, sharks would still be consumed at wedding banquets elsewhere.
Environmentalists say that is not the point. 鈥淚t really wouldn鈥檛 hurt them to take it off the menu,鈥� says Darvell. He sees it as a golden opportunity for Disney to trumpet its green credentials.
