Activists working to end shark finning in Australia have launched an online campaign to name and shame restaurants which serve the traditional Chinese delicacy.
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The Australian Anti Shark Finning Alliance has named on its website's wall of shame five Canberra restaurants, among about 200 others Australia-wide, which it says serves shark fin or shark fin soup.
But third-generation owner of Happy's Chinese Restaurant, Gavin Chan, said his business had been falsely accused on the alliance's website of serving the dish, as it had not appeared on the restaurant's menu in about 20 years.
''We sold it back in the days of my father's generation and it got to the stage where it was not only getting too expensive to buy but also because people were getting a lot more aware of where it was coming from,'' Mr Chan said.
''It's also difficult to get.''
The alliance said about 200,000 sharks were slaughtered each day because of the demand for their fins in restaurants.
According to the RSPCA, shark fins are illegally sourced from wild shark populations by removing the dorsal fin of the shark and discarding and abandoning the carcass at sea. Because of the lucrative practice, the RSPCA says sharks are being ''heavily over-fished to meet the high demand for shark-fin soup''.
Manager of Ruby Chinese Restaurant in Dickson, Jeffrey Chan, said shark fin soup was being phased off the menu because of the decreased demand, increased awareness of shark finning and cost, which could be up to $1000 for a fin.
While Mr Chan and the restaurant's owners don't condone the inhumane killing of a shark for its fin, they said most people bought the delicacy for cultural reasons during special occasions.
''For the older generation, over 70, it's a status symbol,'' Ruby owner Susie Chan said. ''If you can afford shark fin, it's a sign of wealth.
''It's a cultural thing for traditional Chinese people - when they have a special occasion like a wedding, they ask for it, they don't care how much it costs.''
Mr Chan said shark fin soup, which sold at Ruby for $25 a bowl, was considered extremely nutritious among Chinese families, who often ordered the dish for their children.
''There's nothing illegal about catching a shark and selling the fin, but it is illegal to de-fin a shark and toss it back,'' Mr Chan said.
''People eat flake, so if a shark is killed for that, you might as well use the whole thing.
''We're Chinese, we eat everything and don't waste anything.''
Also on the list, Noble Palace Chinese Restaurant in Woden said that while shark fin soup appeared on its menu it hadn't sold or stocked it for about a year.
The Canberra Times also sought comment from King Fook Restaurant in Florey as well as Prince Palace Chinese Restaurant in Belconnen.
