*拟明令禁止公务宴请食用鱼翅

中国国有媒体报道，在未来数年内，鱼翅这种传统中国美食──但在西方，吃鱼翅的行为则广受诟病──将从公务宴请的菜单中消失。

This week, Xinhua reported that within one to three years, the country's State Council plans to release guidelines banning shark's fin from being served at official receptions.

新华社(Xinhua News Agency)本周报道说，国务院计划在三年内发文规定公务接待不得食用鱼翅。

Gelatinous, mildly flavored shark's fin soup is a popular symbol of wealth and prestige across much ofChina, but activists say the country's appetite for its chief ingredient helps fuel a global trade that kills some 73 million sharks a year, with 95% of all fins being consumed within China. As the country's middle class has boomed, so has the ability of more ordinary Chinese to afford the dish, spurring demand for shark's fin around the world.

在中国大部分地区，食用味道清淡、外观呈胶状的鱼翅汤是财富和地位的象征，但是环保人士说，吃鱼翅助推了全球鱼翅贸易，导致每年大约7,300万条鲨鱼被屠杀，而其中95%的鱼翅是在中国被食用的。随着中国中产阶级规模的壮大，越来越多的普通人也吃得起这道美食了，导致对世界范围内的鱼翅需求进一步扩大。

Animal-protection groups around the world hailed the State Council's news, with the Humane Society International saying it marked a "watershed moment for the global movement to protect sharks and pushes China onto the world's stage as an emerging leader in shark conservation."

全球动物保护组织都对中国国务院的这个决定表示欢迎。国际人道协会(Humane Society International)说，这是全球保护鲨鱼行动的一个具有分水岭意义的事件，中国将成为世界舞台上鲨鱼保护行动的新领导者。

Official Chinese banquets have come under greater scrutiny in recent years amid public anger at excessive government spending on such events. Earlier this year, Chinese premier Wen Jiabao announced plans to ban the use of public funds to buy "high-end" alcohol and cigarettes-a move that prompted the stock of popular, pricey Moutai liquor to take a brief nosedive.

由于公众对三公消费过度开支日益不满，最近几年，中国的公款宴请受到了更加严格的审视。今年早些时候，中国总理温家宝称计划禁止使用公款购买香烟和高档酒，此消息一出，价格昂贵却广受欢迎的茅台酒的库存应声大降。

Though China's latest move on shark's fin was widely praised, its proposed timeline for implementation has been criticized. "To ban one shark's fin requires three years-what a laughable government," wrote one Shanghai-based user on Sina Weibo,China's Twitter-like microblogging service.

尽管中国这次有关鱼翅的举措获得了普遍好评，但相关的时间安排却引来了非议。一名上海网友在新浪微博上写道：禁一个鱼翅就要花三年，可笑的。

"In three years, sharks will nearly be extinct," wrote another user, also based in Shanghai.

上海的另一名网友说，估计三年后鲨鱼也快灭绝了。

Still, other activists praised the move, and said it could push other governments in the region to back similar measures. In the southern Chinese territory of Hong Kong-which processes at least half of the global shark-fin trade, according to the World Wildlife Fund-activists said China's latest announcement was an embarrassment to the former British colony, which returned to mainland control in 1997 but continues to operate with independent economic, political and legal systems.

尽管如此，另外的一些活动人士则赞扬了中国的这个举措，并表示这将推动该地区的其他支持类似的措施。根据世界自然基金会(World Wildlife Fund)的数据，世界上至少一半的鱼翅贸易是在香港进行的。活动人士说，中国最近的表态让香港无地自容。香港曾是英国的殖民地，1997年回归中国，但是仍然保留着独立的经济、政治和法律制度。

In Hong Kong, shark's fin are often found drying on the sidewalk, scattered in odorous clouds across the western part of the island. Apart from traditional soup, shark's fin-which can cost up to $400 a pound-are also served as garnishes in other dishes, from dessert to dim sum.

人们在香港经常可以看到在路边风干的鱼翅，在香港岛的西部满地都是，散发出难闻的味道。鱼翅的价格最高可达每磅400美元，除了传统的鱼翅汤，鱼翅还可以作为其他菜的辅料，比如饭后甜点和点心。

According to the WWF, the city processes some 10,000 tons a year, much of it bound forChina. Activists say the government has done little to clamp down on the overall trade or encourage reduced consumption. The Hong Kong government hasn't banned shark's fin from official banquets, says Tracy Tsang of the WWF, and "repeatedly dodged the question" whenever activists raise the issue.

根据世界自然基金会的数据，香港每年大约加工1万吨鱼翅，其中大多数最终流入了中国内地。活动人士说，港府在打击鱼翅贸易以及鼓励减少食用鱼翅方面毫无作为。世界自然基金会的Tracy Tsang说，香港没有禁止在公务宴请中食用鱼翅，而且还在活动人士提出这个问题时屡次加以回避。

The trade is legal in Hong Kong, though sale of shark's fin has been banned elsewhere, including in California and various cities in Canada.

在香港，鱼翅贸易是合法的，不过鱼翅的销售在其他任何地方都是被禁止的，包括美国的加州和加拿大的许多城市。

But public backlash against shark-fin consumption is on the rise, activists say. Earlier this year, Shangri-La Asia Ltd. said it would ban shark fin from tables across its 72 hotels. A survey of 1,000 Hong Kong residents published last year found that 78% of those polled felt it was "acceptable" to strike shark'S fin soup from the menu on special occasions, including weddings.

活动人士说，公众对吃鱼翅的反对越来越强烈。今年早些时候，香格里拉（亚洲）有限公司(Shangri-La Asia Ltd.)宣布，旗下72家酒店将停止供应鱼翅。去年公布的对1,000名香港市民的调查发现，78%的受访者认为在包括婚宴在内的特殊场合取消鱼翅可以接受。

A government spokeswoman saidHong Kongis committed to protecting endangered species in accordance with CITES, the global treaty on the endangered wildlife trade, and that shark's fin aren't typically served at official banquets anyway. "When organizing official entertainments, we do emphasize that the occasion should be decent, but not give an impression that it is extravagant," she said.

港府的一名发言人说，香港正致力于根据濒危野生动植物种国际贸易公约(CITES)的要求保护濒危物种，而且公务宴请中通常不供应鱼翅。CITES是针对濒危野生动植物贸易的全球性公约。她说，港府在组织公务宴请时，我们的确很注重让整个场合看起来体面，但不会给人留下奢侈的印象。

Bertha Lo of the Hong Kong Shark Foundation said that Chinese officials won't miss much when shark's fin are left off the table in the future. "People always think that shark fin's soup is delicious, but that's just the chicken broth," says Ms. Lo. "Shark fin, itself, is tasteless."

香港鲨鱼基金会(Hong Kong Shark Foundation)的Bertha Lo说，未来当鱼翅从餐桌上消失时，中国官员不会怎么想念鱼翅的；人们都以为鱼翅汤很美味，那其实是鸡汤的味道，鱼翅本身什么味道也没有。