Author: Julia Telfer
Source: International Business Times
May 18, 2012

"In New York City's bustling Chinatown neighborhood, shoppers have a wide variety of dried shark fins to choose from. But at Po Wing Hong Food Market Inc., an immensely popular and long-standing grocery store, change appears to be afoot.

Large glass jars in the store display dried shark fins in different colours and sizes, ranging from 70 to 300 dollars (USD) a pound. The fins are used to make shark's fin soup, considered a delicacy and a "status symbol" within the Chinese community.

But the current stock of shark fins in this food market is likely to be the last. Nancy Ng, who has owned the store for 35 years, has stopped ordering further supplies and is phasing out shark fins. She pointed out that the shark fin prices have gone up considerably in the last few months while demand has faltered, especially for the most expensive varieties."

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