By: Natalia Trita Agnika

Lunar New Year has arrived. On this occasion, Chinese families have a tradition of celebrating Chinese New Year while enjoying a variety of banquets. Togetherness and warmth are important factors in Chinese culture. Of the many Chinese New Year dishes, there is one that some people still consume as a special treat: shark fin. This custom is believed to bring health, prosperity and a long life. Eating food made from shark fins is also considered to increase one's prestige. Not surprisingly, as this year's Chinese New Year approaches, demand for shark fins has soared. As a result, shark fin smuggling cases have increased. For example, in January 2016, 20 tons of shark fins were thwarted from being smuggled by Tanjung Perak Customs, Surabaya.

The facts about how shark fins get to our tables will make us rethink our decision not to consume them. The sharks are cruelly finned alive (shark finning). The finned sharks are then "dumped" back into the ocean. Often the finless sharks end up dying slowly.

Such finning threatens the population of the ocean's top predator. Sharks are a slow reproducing species. Sharks are also one of the species whose populations are threatened with extinction. Since September 14, 2014, CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna / Convention on International Trade in Endangered Animals and Plants) has given more serious protection to five shark species that are now threatened with extinction.

Not many people know that sharks play an important role in the cycles of marine ecosystems. As top predators, sharks control the population of marine animals in the food chain. A healthy shark population guarantees the abundance of fish for human consumption. Large-scale fishing of sharks disrupts the balance of the food chain in the marine ecosystem and has a negative impact on food security.

We can use this Chinese New Year moment to raise awareness of shark protection. A concrete step to realize this is to boldly and openly refuse to consume shark fins. Instead of serving or eating shark fins during Chinese New Year banquets, it would be better to eat other healthy and environmentally friendly Chinese New Year specialties. Bondan Winarno, a culinary expert and champion of the #SOShark campaign, once said that shark fins have no flavor. "The texture of shark fin can be replaced with other ingredients. In my opinion, the soup that is funky is the broth made by a reliable chef," he said.

The public can also encourage producers to stop serving dishes made from shark fins. One way is to campaign through social media. Thus, producers and sellers are indirectly encouraged to stop selling shark products. The public can also support the mass media to stop promoting shark cuisine.

Happy Chinese New Year. Let's celebrate a new year without shark fins!