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Shark fin soup is considered a symbol of wealth and prestige in Chinese culture, and has been a popular and often expected item at Lunar New Year's parties and wedding banquets. While the soup may symbolize great things for its diners, the delicacy is certainly not a symbol of good luck or longevity for the sharks.
The practice of shark finning is a brutal one; often the fins are cut from live sharks, which are then simply tossed back into the sea. Shark meat doesn't fetch much at the market, and many fishermen prefer to deal only with the portion of the shark that is going to bring them the most profit. Without a fin, a shark...
