Philippine Airlines quits flying shark fins amid outcry

Philippine Airlines (PAL) said Thursday it has stopped flying shark fincargoes, joining a number of other Asia-Pacific carriers in taking a stand for marineconservation.The fins are used in shark fin soup, a much-valued delicacy in Hong Kong and China.Conservationists say booming demand for such fins has put pressure on the world'sshark populations, prompting calls for measures to restrict their trade."PAL values the issue on protection and conservation of endangered marine lifeseriously, recognising that the company's long-term interest is and should beconsistent with sustainable and responsible business practices," a PAL statementsaid.Air New Zealand as well as South Korea's two largest airlines, Korean Air and Asiana,separately announced last year that they would ban shark fins from their cargoflights, a year after Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific also stopped shipping them.Fiji Airways announced last year it would no longer carry "shark fins and shark-related products sourced from unsustainable and unverified sources", and wouldonly carry fins from species not threatened with extinction.