Challenges – Source: Midnight Freemasons
However, there are also some challenges met along the way.
In a survey conducted in Hong Kong in 2011, findings indicate that people are aware of the issues related to shark fin soup and they want to stop their consumption. Despite having that willingness to do so, they continued to consume and serve shark fin soup due to the strong social pressure that is present.
As Hong Kong is classified as one of the collective countries, they will most probably value approval from others and thus it might not be able to improve the situation just by targeting corporations or individuals alone. Seeking the corporation of the community as a whole will be more effective.
High Cost – Source: Balance Track
In addition to the challenge with social pressure, there is another challenge with regards to the compliance of communities. What will regulations and laws be, when people do not show compliance? Enforcement of these regulations, unfortunately not in place, will have to be in place to ensure so. Enforcement of regulations are not cost effective as it needs substantial amount of money to fund efforts, which includes the patrolling of thousands of nautical miles, inspecting every boat and log book as well as punishing offenders. This made regulations and laws meaningless and not effective. Some of the economically strained countries might need to seek help from industrialized nations for the funding of these efforts.
Bribes – Source: NYP Holdings, Inc
Lastly, there is also presence of governmental officials who lack the political will to enforce the regulations and laws. These governmental officials accept bribes and corruption is present amongst them which enables wealthy middle-aged men to continue acquiring the valuable fins to trade in other countries. Besides officials, government of one country can also impose pressure on another country which has healthy shark population. This can be done through under-the-table deals and large scale investment.