Problem Identified
"How can you not have shark fin soup on the menu! It is a MUST in wedding dinners!"
OR IS IT? The above is what a typical Chinese of the older generation would say during preparation for a wedding dinner. Due to the value of respect for elders, the younger generation often do not think twice about the consequences of including shark fin soup on the menu. How much do we know about the practice of finning? Shark finning is the barbaric act of hacking the fin off the shark while it is still alive. The body is then thrown back into the sea where the shark sinks to the bottom of it and gets eaten by other fish, starve to death or drown. Sharks are being slaughtered at an unsustainable rate to satisfy the demand for shark fin soup particularly in Asia where it is viewed as a delicacy. It is also representative of wealth and status. Most people are ignorant of the severe impacts of shark finning. These include the loss of stability in marine ecosystems and decline in water quality etc. However, even if people are aware of the consequences of shark finning, do they care enough to take any preventive actions?
Hypotheses
The younger generation (students) do not understand the causes and consequences of shark finning well and are nonchalant towards having shark fin soup in wedding dinners. They do not feel the need to participate in the prevention of shark finning.
Research Questions
How much do the younger generation (students) know about the causes and impacts of shark finning and whether they think that shark fin soup is a MUST in wedding dinners? Do they think that it is of concern to them to contribute towards prevention of shark finning?
Objectives of the Research Study
One of the objectives is to determine to what extent is the younger generation aware of the causes and impacts of shark finning. The study also aims to find out if the younger generation think that they should take constructive actions, such as refusing shark fin soup, in support of the ban of shark finning.
Purpose Statement
The objective of the report is to inform the relevant authorities, such as Singapore Environment Council and National Environment Agency, about the knowledge and attidtudes of the younger generation towards shark finning. The report would also serve as an indication that awareness of shark finning and its consequences needs to be raised so that students can also play a part in the prevention of ill-treatment of sharks.
Reasons for surveys
The surveys will reflect how much the younger generation know about shark finning and tell if there is any need to further promote the awareness of such an activity. We can also understand the reasons behind the nonchalance of the younger generation towards the inhumane act of shark finning and hence convince the authorities to educate the younger generation on the importance of helping to conserve shark species.
"How can you not have shark fin soup on the menu! It is a MUST in wedding dinners!"
OR IS IT? The above is what a typical Chinese of the older generation would say during preparation for a wedding dinner. Due to the value of respect for elders, the younger generation often do not think twice about the consequences of including shark fin soup on the menu. How much do we know about the practice of finning? Shark finning is the barbaric act of hacking the fin off the shark while it is still alive. The body is then thrown back into the sea where the shark sinks to the bottom of it and gets eaten by other fish, starve to death or drown. Sharks are being slaughtered at an unsustainable rate to satisfy the demand for shark fin soup particularly in Asia where it is viewed as a delicacy. It is also representative of wealth and status. Most people are ignorant of the severe impacts of shark finning. These include the loss of stability in marine ecosystems and decline in water quality etc. However, even if people are aware of the consequences of shark finning, do they care enough to take any preventive actions?
Hypotheses
The younger generation (students) do not understand the causes and consequences of shark finning well and are nonchalant towards having shark fin soup in wedding dinners. They do not feel the need to participate in the prevention of shark finning.
Research Questions
How much do the younger generation (students) know about the causes and impacts of shark finning and whether they think that shark fin soup is a MUST in wedding dinners? Do they think that it is of concern to them to contribute towards prevention of shark finning?
Objectives of the Research Study
One of the objectives is to determine to what extent is the younger generation aware of the causes and impacts of shark finning. The study also aims to find out if the younger generation think that they should take constructive actions, such as refusing shark fin soup, in support of the ban of shark finning.
Purpose Statement
The objective of the report is to inform the relevant authorities, such as Singapore Environment Council and National Environment Agency, about the knowledge and attidtudes of the younger generation towards shark finning. The report would also serve as an indication that awareness of shark finning and its consequences needs to be raised so that students can also play a part in the prevention of ill-treatment of sharks.
Reasons for surveys
The surveys will reflect how much the younger generation know about shark finning and tell if there is any need to further promote the awareness of such an activity. We can also understand the reasons behind the nonchalance of the younger generation towards the inhumane act of shark finning and hence convince the authorities to educate the younger generation on the importance of helping to conserve shark species.
7 comments:
Thank you very much, Joyce. This is an important topic. My only advice is that you further refine two items. One is the general research question. It would be better to look at that and, once you've seen that you're mixing issues, try to create a question that really embodies the most "general" approach you can develop to best explore this topic.
Secondly, you might want to further refine your research population as well. The "younger generation" sounds too broad to me.
I really appreciate your effort!
Thank you for your suggestions, Brad. I was indeed having problems with the research question! I will work on that. As for the research population, I will want to target people within a certain age group who are most likely to consume shark fin soup. I hope this is better. :)
Thank you once again!
Dear Joyce,
I never quite understood the obsession with shark fin soup. It has no taste and feels like chewing on a rubber-like plastic strip. In fact, it is even common practice for restaurants to substitute real shark fin with synthetic gelatin just to make a quick buck. With that in mind, it does make me wonder why we continue to pay excessively for this foolish indulgence.
However, I believe in the ingenuity of the Chinese people. Many of the fins actually originate from shark farms these days. So in their pursuit for better margins, I guess they actually side stepped the ecological balance issue. And if you are naive enough to believe that they would just let the sharks die afterwards, you must have missed out on the prospect of more money from selling them as bait or feed. No doubt it is still a cruel act, but it is not any different from the hamburgers we gorge down a little too often.
Hence, I have to say that asking shark fin enthusiast to abandon their heavenly cuisine would be equivalent to preaching that we should all be vegetarians. Perhaps it would be better to ensure a more regulated and humane shark fin industry. At least that way everyone wins:)
Hi Royce:
Let me share this comment a friend of mine made just a week or so ago, on Science DnD. He/She said,
"It's already on the table! If you do not eat it, it's going to waste. The shark probably dead in vain."
He/She then distributed both my friend's and my share to the other table. My friend had insisted not having the bowl of fins in protest of the cruelty behind the process of harvesting them.
The problem is how can be change people's appetite for a 'dish' that has been deem a necessity? This is culture we are working against, and I believe we need great courage to say 'No'.
There is a saying that Chinese culture has its roots in gourmet delicacies. Then, I believe we should start eating with our hearts, not just be blinded by the taste buds.
Cheers.
Hi Joyce!
The topic that you have chosen is a rather widely discussed one. It would be interesting to find out what the younger generation feels about sharks finning!
I agree with Yuming that instead of aiming to stop all shark finning activities, we should look towards regulating the shark finning industry. The challenge to shark industry is to devise methods of killing the sharks in more humane ways, but this may not be possible on an industrial scale. It is likely that kinder and less stressful methods would make shark fins more expensive.
This issue is somewhat similar to the one where people kill animals for fur. Despite the protests, there are clearly people who still see no reason to stop using fur products.
Hmmm.. I was thinking if you should restrict your target audience to the Non-governmental Organisations(NGOs). I think it's quite impossible for the government agencies to take sides in this matter here, because it's simply a matter of people's choice and preference.
Just my two cents worth!
Yo Joyce!
Interesting topic! :p It would be beneficial to get the opinions of youngsters these days to reflect on the actions that the organisations have taken and should take in the future. I do agree with the other comments that shark finning cannot be totally eliminated since there will always be a demand for it. Afterall, there are still many people who treat it as a delicacy. So maybe, in the research we will be able to investigate better outlets for shark fins and reduce the amount of harm that will be done to the ecological system. :)
younger generation = students = NUS students= NUS Science Faculty students
It all depends on how specific your survey can be.
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