Shark Fins Vs. Viagra

Apparently, aside from deeming this tasteless cartilage to be a rare a delicacy, some cultures think that eating shark fin soup is an aphrodesiac that increases male virility. The process of harvesting shark dorsal fins can be pretty disgusting though. Called "finning," hunters hack the fins off sharks and throw the mortally wounded animals back in the water to bleed to death, drown, or be eaten by other sharks. The reason for this is because shark meat is relatively worthless in comparison to the fins, so keeping the rest of the shark would take up valuable room on a ship that could be used for storing the dorsals. It is estimated that an average of 38 million sharks a year are slaughtered in this way. You can read all about it HERE.

I snapped this picture at a Chinese restaurant in Portland called Wong's King. The dorsal fin in the middle stands about three feet tall and is adorned with gold leaf and an ornate sign. I can't read Chinese, but I think it says something like: "Hey, limp-dicks, get your shark fin soup here!"