中国将禁止官方宴请消费鱼翅，此举得到环保活动人士的赞许，称这是朝着保护全球鲨鱼迈出的关键一步。
在中国，鱼翅汤自古以来就是一道美味，也是富足的象征。近年来随着中国人越来越富，对鱼翅的需求出现爆炸性增长。环保人士估计，为了把鱼翅汤端上桌，每年有至多7300万条鲨鱼被杀，令某些物种面临绝迹的威胁。
据官方媒体报道，这一禁令是在今年3月中国人大年会期间提出、并于上周晚些时候得到批准的。政府表示，将立即着手实施禁令，但预期可能需要三年时间才能全面执行到位。
这一禁令是在一场公共宣传运动之后出台的，是民间团体施加的压力影响中国立法的罕见事例。最初这场运动未能凝聚人气，但在野生救援(WildAid) 2006年请中国篮球明星姚明出面代言、让他在广告片中承诺永远不吃鱼翅之后，这场运动开始形成势头。
"那年（2006年）我们做了一项调查，发现有大约75%的人不知道鱼翅实际上取自鲨鱼，也不知道获取鱼翅所造成的损害，"野生救援中国首席代表梅楣(May Mei)表示，"现在很多人已经改变了态度，尤其是在大城市。这部法令的颁布是自上而下的，但呼声来自公众。"
在中文中，"鱼翅"这个词没有具体提及鲨鱼。许多餐馆的菜单上都有鱼翅汤，它也是公务宴请和婚宴餐桌上的必备美味。但鱼翅正开始失宠，活动人士相信，上述政府禁令将加速这个过程。
此举也意在抑制奢侈的政府招待支出。禁令规定，公职人员不得食用昂贵的山珍海味，并责成政府审计人员确保禁令得到执行。
译者/何黎
http://www.ftchinese.com/story/001045347
China will ban the serving of shark fin at official banquets, a move that environmental activists have applauded as an essential step to protecting the world's sharks.
Shark fin soup has long been a delicacy and a sign of prosperity in China and the appetite for it has exploded as people have grown wealthier. Conservationists estimate that up to 73m sharks are killed a year for the soup, threatening some species with extinction.
The ban was proposed at China's annual parliamentary session in March and ratified late last week, according to state media. The government said it would begin to implement the ban immediately but expects full enforcement to take up to three years.
The move follows a public campaign, in a rare example of civil society pressure shaping legislation in China. Initially an unpopular cause, the movement began to gather momentum in 2006 when WildAid recruited Chinese basketball star Yao Ming for an ad campaign in which he promised never to eat shark fin.
"In that year [2006] we did a survey and about 75 per cent of people didn't know that shark fins actually came from sharks and didn't know about the damage that was being caused," said May Mei, China chief representative of WildAid. "Many people have now changed their attitudes, especially in big cities. This legislation came from the top down but the voice came from the general public."
The Chinese word for shark's fin is "fish fin", with no specific reference to sharks. The soup is served by many restaurants and remains a staple of business banquets and wedding receptions. But it is beginning to fall out of favour and activists believe that the government ban will accelerate that process.
The move is also aimed at reining in lavish government spending on entertainment. The legislation ordered public servants to refrain from eating expensive delicacies and instructed state auditors to ensure that the ban is upheld.
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