Shark fin trade from Hong Kong to China drops almost 90 per cent in one year
WWF-Hong Kong says sales to mainland down 90pc because of pressure from green groups and possibly campaign against extravagance
Overall imports to Hong Kong fell 35 per cent compared with 2012, WWF-Hong Kong added.
The fall comes amid a crackdown by the central government on extravagance and corruption, and pressure by environmental groups to stamp out the trade.
The figures, drawn from government statistics, show a drop in re-export volumes of 17.5 per cent. This was driven by a 90 per cent drop in re-exports to mainland China from 1.2 million kilograms in 2012 to 113,973kg.
Mainland China, formerly Hong Kong's biggest re-export market, fell to fourth place last year after being overtaken by Vietnam for the first time since 2010.
"We were very surprised when we saw this figure as the mainland has traditionally been Hong Kong's biggest re-export market," said WWF-Hong Kong senior programme director Tracy Tsang Chui-chi.
"We do not rule out the possibility that the central government's anti-corruption measures could have played a role in the big drop in re-exports."
