Shark Fin

Unlike the creatures from which they are taken, shark fins move through the Hawaiian black market freely and in droves, with Honolulu serving as a transit point between Pacific waters and Asian banquet tables. The removal of a shark’s fin is perfectly painless and harmless, provided the shark is dead. Once dried, the fins are simmered into shark fin soup, a dish meant to show respect to your guests. Strange, since shark fins — like the people who slurp them — are tasteless and offer nothing of value. Except to the sharks, of course, who would very much like their fins back.