These include polar bears, rays and sharks that are heavily fished for shark fin soup.

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Mr. Kerckerinck would like to see the sale of shark fins (a key ingredient in shark fin soup) outlawed.

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These days, shark fin soup is so fashionable that it's becoming commonplace.

CNN: Shark fin soup alters an ecosystem

Shark fin soup is a delicacy reserved for the wealthy on special occasions and it has been part of Chinese culture for centuries.

CNN: Shark fin soup alters an ecosystem

See his heartfelt anti-shark fin soup public service announcement here.

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The biggest driver for shark fishing has been the demand for shark fin soup, a product that is seen as a luxury item among Chinese communities.

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Shark fin, of course, is the namesake ingredient of shark fin soup, a popular delicacy in China since the Ming Dynasty and now eaten in Chinese restaurants around the world.

FORBES: Hawaii Turns Up The Heat On Chinese Delicacy: Bans Shark Fin

By contrast, humans kill around 100 million sharks every year - a number that has ballooned in recent years because of the enormous demand for shark fins to make shark fin soup.

CNN: Shark fin soup alters an ecosystem

The move by some luxury hotel chains in greater China to ban shark fin soup ahead of the Lunar New Year was symbolic of a new day and part of a worldwide push.

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Shark fin soup can be expensive.

CNN: Shark fin soup alters an ecosystem

"Sharks are still hunted in some waters as part of the finning industry where, horribly enough, they take the fins for shark fin soup and discard the rest of the body - that is the biggest threat to all sharks worldwide, " she said.

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Their fins, prized for shark-fin soup, a traditional Chinese dish, fetch high prices.

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At a spring festival gathering in February, the Hong Kong Pui Ching Alumni Association ordered a 10-course meal but opted to replace the shark's fin soup with a chicken, fish belly and abalone soup.

BBC: Hong Kong shark fin trade declines

The state Senate on Tuesday voted 25-9 to ban the sale, trade and possession of shark fin, a key ingredient in the traditional Chinese soup, sending the bill on to the desk of Gov. Jerry Brown.

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