Gordon Ramsey tackles shark finning issue in “Shark Bait” special

By on Oct 19, 2011

YouTube Preview Image

Warning: Video does contain harsh language, profanity and shark finning. It may be disturbing to some viewers!

Earlier this year, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey aired a special called “Shark Bait” looking at the shark fin soup phenomenon and what propels shark finning, causing the senseless death of sharks after being harvested of their fins. This video we found online shows Chef Ramsey watching the preparation of the soup and trying. He finds the soup broth delicious but points out that anything could be in there but the shark fin itself doesn’t add flavor. Right after this, Chef Ramsey confronts some patrons asking customers why they eat the soup.

As the show’s description mentions, an estimated 100 million sharks being killed worldwide and a third of the world’s open ocean shark species being driven to extinction by overfishing. The special explores if the slaughter is really necessary. From a restaurant serving the soup to a fin drying operation to filming footage of sharks being caught for their fins — the video can be disturbing, but hopefully shows why the practice should be stopped. While we abhor this practice, we do applaud chef’s like Chef Corey Lee of Benu in San Francisco who has developed a faux shark fin soup that might even be better than the real thing.

Posted in Reef News |
Search More:   • • • • • •
 

Related posts:

  1. Stop Shark Finning Campaign
  2. China makes historic move to ban shark fin soup
  3. How much is a shark worth? $2 million alive
  4. California Assembly approves shark fin ban, state one step closer to outlawing practice
  5. Shark Fin Fishing proposed for Great Barrier Reef
  6. Wobbegong Shark Pups at the Georgia Aquarium
  7. Shark whisperer tempts fate with chainmail gloves
 
  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_TLDCJZIPRVHBDDZEG524FPAASI Christine

    It only takes one person, who cares, to change the world.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_TLDCJZIPRVHBDDZEG524FPAASI Christine

    It only takes one person, who cares, to change the world.

  • reefman66

    Bravo Chef Ramsey! the world need to know this need to STOP! Such a senseless acts that is useless  for everyone. All restaurants in this world need to jump on this boat and stop serving this horrendous dish!  

  • Jose Gonzalez

    now i’m a fan of gordon ramsey

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_TY62P4IMCIOGM5T3WOGV625FII The Jesus

    I’ve always enjoyed laughing at Gordon Ramsey as he goes on a tirade about food being overcooked, but I gained a lot more respect for him after this.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_TY62P4IMCIOGM5T3WOGV625FII The Jesus

    I’ve always enjoyed laughing at Gordon Ramsey as he goes on a tirade about food being overcooked, but I gained a lot more respect for him after this.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_QSZZB5PF3MYTG3Y7KK7AVSQ3LI Chris

    Respect to Ramsey! I just read about a shark massacre in Colombia. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/oct/19/shark-massacre-colombia

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_3PQR2S2EAZUDJKVYUCKLCWJ37Q Micheal

    Yeah, as good as this was press for Ramsey, hell he may actually feel some guilt at what “his profession” is doing, but this won’t change anything.   People who eat this do so for status symbols, and they don’t give a single shit about any ramifications it may cause.

    All those restaurant owners who put the sign up, I get this deep feeling those signs came down the minute the camera crews left… or they might not serve shark fin soup at all in the first place!

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_3PQR2S2EAZUDJKVYUCKLCWJ37Q Micheal

    Yeah, as good as this was press for Ramsey, hell he may actually feel some guilt at what “his profession” is doing, but this won’t change anything.   People who eat this do so for status symbols, and they don’t give a single shit about any ramifications it may cause.

    All those restaurant owners who put the sign up, I get this deep feeling those signs came down the minute the camera crews left… or they might not serve shark fin soup at all in the first place!

  • Anonymous

    I had to stop watching at 5 minutes when they started cutting the fins off a live hammer head. I can watch war videos all day long, but I can’t stomach watching innocent creatures subjected to such barbarism and it is hard for me to fathom how any other human being could do that to an animal. If they killed the animal humanely AND used as much as possible from it AND it wasn’t endangered, I wouldn’t really have an issue, but “shark finning” is just wrong on so many levels. Reminds me of the expansion days in the US when killing buffalo for sport was acceptable. Bravo to the chef for taking on the issue and publicizing it, not usually a profession you expect to take on this type of subject.

  • http://www.madhatterreef.com/ MadHatter’s Reef

    Hard to watch… but has a good message.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_SNTXHFMZGL2N3E4TGF5RYCTT4I Unkle

    if you think this video is hard to watch and sad try watching a video on mink skinning its so sad skinning live dog creatures alive and left to die

  • Anonymous

    http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/3356720/Gordon-Ramsey-accused-of-double-standards.html

    how many plates of foie gras does Ramsay serve daily at his restaurants?