【英语中国】香港政府将鱼翅撤下官方宴请菜单

Hong Kong may be the capital of the world's shark's fin trade, but as environmentalists step up their campaign against the delicacy, even this city's government has declared it off-limits.

Last year, China's government announced it would stop serving shark's fin soup at official banquets, a move that was heralded by green groups around the world, though it will likely take years to come into effect. Now, Hong Kong is following suit, banning the dish at official events and requesting civil servants to refrain from eating it at other functions , along with other endangered species such as bluefin tuna and black moss. The move comes as international companies from luxury Shangri-La hotel chain to Cathay Pacific Airways have declared they will refuse to serve or carry most shark's fin.

Altogether, said Allen To of the World Wildlife Foundation, more than 150 corporations have pledged not to serve the dish--a gelatinous, stringy soup that's believed to have curative properties--at their own banquets. 'But it's still very common at wedding banquets,' said Mr. To, noting that at local restaurants, it can be more expensive for couples to swap out shark's fin soup for other luxury dishes such as abalone or bird's nest soup.

Ten years ago, Hong Kong imported more than 12,000 tons of shark's fin, which collectively was dried, salted or preserved in brine. Last year, those figures dipped to just one-third of that amount, according to official trade data.

Much of Hong Kong's shark fins are re-exported throughout Asia, which consumes 95% of the world's shark fins, according to nonprofit WildAid. Activists praised Hong Kong's move on Monday, saying the trade results in the deaths of millions of sharks a year.

Among civil servants in Hong Kong, reactions to the announcement were more mixed. So Ping-chi, the immediate past chairman of the Senior Government Officers Association, said the request that civil servants refrain from eating the dish during non-government functions is excessive.

'Civil servants have their own lives,' he said. 'I understand that they're concerned it will give the public a very bad image, to have a civil servant eating expensive food,' he noted, as shark's fin can cost hundreds of dollars per pound in Hong Kong. 'But I don't think normal civil servants can afford to eat it anyway,' he said, adding that most government workers largely dine on imitation shark's fin soup made of gelatin.

Beyond the latest announcement, other headwinds for local shark's fin traders include a crackdown on corruption across the border in mainland China, which has dented appetite for everything from shark fins to expensive mooncakes and Moutai alcohol.

Ng Goon Lau, who first set up his own trading company to sell shark's fins in 1984, is one Hong Kong businessman who has seen the fortunes of the industry change. In the 1980s, he said, he was selling close to 1 1/2 tons of shark's fin per year. But by 2012, he said, his business sank to just one-fifth of a ton per year--thanks to consumer boycotts, he said--so he decided to quit the business altogether.

Still, he said he remains confident the market will one day bounce back. 'To Chinese officials, the choice of food is based on the price: the more expensive, the more they are eager to eat,' he said, adding that he expects to re-enter the market if and when the backlash against the dish falters.

'I don't give up and I am patiently waiting for the situation to change, ' he said.

虽说香港是世界鱼翅贸易之都，但随着环保主义者加大力度反对食用这种美味，就连香港政府也发布了禁吃鱼翅的规定。

去年，中国政府发布规定说将停止在公务宴请中提供鱼翅汤，此举受到了全球环保组织的赞扬，不过这可能需要数年时间才能生效。如今，香港效仿其法，禁止在公务活动中食用鱼翅汤，并要求公务员在其他场合也不要食用鱼翅汤，以及蓝鳍金枪鱼和发菜等其他濒临灭绝的物种。港府此举的背景是，从香格里豪华拉连锁酒店到国泰航空(Cathay Pacific Airways)等国际公司宣布将拒绝提供或运输大部分鱼翅。

世界自然基金会香港分会的杜伟伦(Allen To)说，共有150多家公司已经承诺在宴会上不提供鱼翅汤。鱼翅汤是一种胶状粘稠的汤，据信有保健功效。但他说，鱼翅汤在婚宴上仍很常见。他指出，在香港当地饭店，新人把鱼翅汤换成鲍鱼或燕窝汤等其他高档菜品花费可能会更高。

10年前，香港进口了逾1.2万吨鱼翅，然后将其一并脱水、用盐腌制，或放在盐水里保存。官方贸易数据显示，去年那些鱼翅只剩下三分之一的量。

据非营利机构野生救援(WildAid)统计，香港的鱼翅大部分会再出口到亚洲其它地方。亚洲的鱼翅消费量占全球95%。活动人士周一赞扬香港禁食鱼翅之举，说鱼翅贸易每年会导致数百万头鲨鱼死亡。

香港政府公务员对禁食鱼翅这一消息的反应则更加褒贬不一。香港高级公务员协会(Senior Government Officers Association)刚刚卸任的荣誉主席苏平治(So Ping-chi)说，要求公务员在非政府活动中不吃鱼翅的规定有些过分。

苏平治说，公务员有自己的生活。他指出，鱼翅在香港每磅（一磅约合0.45公斤）要好几百美元，他们担心公务员吃这么贵的东西会极大地损害其在民众心里的形象，这一点我理解。他说，但我觉得普通公务员不管怎样也是吃不起的，还说大多数政府工作人员基本上吃的是用明胶做成的碗仔翅。

除这则禁食鱼翅的最新消息外，香港鱼翅交易商还面临着其它不利因素，如中国内地打击腐败，从鱼翅到价格不菲的月饼和茅台等一切奢侈品的需求都受到冲击。

吴冠流早在1984年便开了一家卖鱼翅的贸易公司，也是见证了鱼翅贸易变动的一个香港生意人。他说，上世纪80年代他每年要卖近1.5吨鱼翅。但他说，到2012年，由于消费者的抵制，他的鱼翅生意缩减到每年仅卖0.2吨，于是他决定干脆退出这块业务。

不过他说，自己相信，有一天市场会反弹。他说，对中国官员而言，他们是在价格的基础上选择食物，越贵他们就越想吃。他还说，如果对鱼翅的抵制消退，他期待再次进入这个市场。

他说，我不放弃，我会耐心等待情况变化。