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eventy-four-year-old Djap Khim Chin, a Chinese-Indonesian from West Kalimantan, said she used to cook shark fin soup for her whole family during Chinese New Year.

“It’s a tradition because it’s supposed to be the most expensive food, which can lead to longevity, a healthy life and bring prosperity,” she told The Jakarta Post.

Known for its slippery, glutinous texture and its supposed power to ward off ageing, shark fin soup is a staple for Chinese-Indonesians celebrating Chinese New Year.

Some restaurants, like Fairmont Restaurant in Jakarta, offer the delicacy during the holiday.

“The demand is still high. We, as a service-providing restaurant, have no choice but to offer it,” the restaurant’s purchasing manager Gideon Eleazar said over the weekend.

He said the demand for shark fin soup was highest during Chinese New Year, which fell last Saturday.

“This weekend, it can be predicted that there will be a lot of requests,” said Gideon. “There was someone who asked for an intact shark fin, [which was] priced at around Rp 13 million [US$975].”

He added that the restaurant would continue to serve shark fin soup on the menu as long as the government did not issue a strict regulation that banned restaurants from doing so.

Chinese Indonesian Association culinary and culture expert Aji Bromokusumo said restaurants like Fairmont saw an opportunity to capitalize on people’s perception of shark fin soup, which was eaten for prestige.

“They see Chinese New Year as an opportunity to create special moments. It’s like Valentine’s Day, when restaurants offer candlelight dinners,” he told the Post.

However, some people say eating shark fin soup is not a relevant tradition. “It’s not a tradition at all. While it was true that Chinese emperors in the past ate it, they did it just for prestige,” Aji said. “And these were mostly old people with families that wanted to treat their children and grandchildren. For young people, they don’t like shark fin soup because it’s unrealistically expensive,” said Aji.

This habit of consuming shark fin soup has contributed to the nationwide overconsumption of shark fin, reaching 12,622 kilograms or 73,000 portions per year, according to WWF Indonesia.

WWF Indonesia Banda Seascapes and Fisheries leader Imam Mustofa said the biggest consumers of shark fin came from Jakarta and Surabaya, home to large populations of Chinese-Indonesians.

As a result, the population of sharks in Indonesia has been in decline.

Greenpeace Indonesia data show the country produces at least 486 tons of dried shark fins. Meanwhile, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says at least 1.1 million tons of shark products are traded globally every year, even though sharks face a high risk of extinction due to overfishing, coupled with their slow reproductive rates.

While the demand for shark fin is still high, shark conservation efforts in Indonesia are still weak.

From 118 species of sharks in Indonesia, only one is totally protected (Rhincodon typus) and only two species have an export ban: the oceanic whitetip (Carcharhinus longimanus) and the hammerhead (Carcharhinus sphyrnidae).

These 118 species make up 26.4 percent of all sharks worldwide.