(BEIJING, May 29) -- To avoid a sharp reduction of the shark population globally, the US WildAid and the Social Survey Institute of China (SSIC) have urged the public to consume less shark-fin for the sake of marine ecology.

In a joint survey this year, the organizations found recently that despite their support for the protection of sharks, the Chinese consumers didn't know much about the environmental deterioration due to a declining shark population. According to WildAid President Steve Trent, China consumes 50 percent of the world's shark-fins.

In its shark fishing and trade activities, China seriously abides by CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), and the country is considering the inclusion of some of the endangered shark species in the key protection list of wild fauna, said an official of the Agriculture Ministry earlier. China encourages reasonable use of fishing resources. As far as the shark is concerned, the use of its whole body is encouraged, while its partial use is banned, the official added.