Korean Air and Shark Finning

[Doc Harry]

Korean Air Lines is advertising a photo contest here on Scubaboard:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/shows-events/392339-2011-korean-airline-travel-photo-contest.html

I flew Korean Air Lines (KAL) numerous times. Their inflight magazine advertised shark fin products. I wrote to the company, explaining the problem of shark finning and asked them the remove shark fin products from their publication. KAL never responded to me. During my last flight to Seoul, KAL was still advertising shark fin products in their magazine.

What do you think of this?

Care to add any comments to KAL's post regarding their photo contest?

 

[OfficetoOcean]

I have just flown with them in the last week, well twice if you count the journey out as well...The products you mention are not shark fin products but shark oil (Squalene) and shark cartilage, I too was disappointed with this and had it been me paying for and organising the flights I would have flown with another airline but there is very little we can do.

I appreciate there are a lot of petitions flying around regarding various sharky issues but 99.9% of them achieve absolutely nothing. Unfortunately, changing the mindset of corporate entities in the asian world will only happen if there is commercial benefit in them doing so, or commercial negative impact in them not soing something. These same shark products were widely available in Incheon airport as well...

 

[DevonDiver]

Harry,

Care to write to them and get a comment about their involvement in selling, general shark products and, specifically, shark fin beverages?

 

[Doc Harry]

I have just flown with them in the last week, well twice if you count the journey out as well...The products you mention are not shark fin products but shark oil (Squalene) and shark cartilage,...

They also advertised shark fin soup.

Harry,

Care to write to them and get a comment about their involvement in selling, general shark products and, specifically, shark fin beverages?

I already wrote to them. Never received a response.

 

[Mr.X]

Much like the Japanese whaling fleet unless pushed hard (bad press/loss of income/loss of face) these guys could give a toss about the harvest of endangered species. Sorry, but it will be an uphill battle.

X

 

[buddhasummer]

Im sure it will achieve nothing but I will write to them none the less. My world is getting smaller, Amazons currently off my menu as is Korean Air from this point forth.

 

[Chris Brown Tech]

I dont think its a waste of time. There are people paid big salaries in Corporates to look after their 'corporate responsibilities'. If not in house, you can be sure they have a consultancy firm on board with it. These individuals are looking for ways to justify their paycheck as well as keeping an eye on market trends.

Shark finning is slowly but surely being banned around the world, leaving the new challenge being enforcement. For example, the Bahamas just banned all shark fishing completely as they came to realize that despite declining reef quality and declining revenue, shark tourism is on the rise.

I accept there is a cultural challenge in Asia, but airlines are 'multicultural' due to their customer base are they not?

I say keep pushing them!

 

[buddhasummer]

I dont think its a waste of time. There are people paid big salaries in Corporates to look after their 'corporate responsibilities'. If not in house, you can be sure they have a consultancy firm on board with it. These individuals are looking for ways to justify their paycheck as well as keeping an eye on market trends.

Shark finning is slowly but surely being banned around the world, leaving the new challenge being enforcement. For example, the Bahamas just banned all shark fishing completely as they came to realize that despite declining reef quality and declining revenue, shark tourism is on the rise.

I accept there is a cultural challenge in Asia, but airlines are 'multicultural' due to their customer base are they not?

I say keep pushing them!

Absolutely, there is always a chance something may change by doing something, sure as eggs nothing will change if we do nothing.