Group wants shark fin soup ban

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- The U.S. conservation group WildAid is calling for an international ban on shark fin soup.

Peter Knights, director of WildAid, said nearly 100 million sharks are killed each year to meet demand for the Asian delicacy, CNN reported Tuesday.

The fins sell for about $500 a pound.

Knights said the reduction of sharks is disrupting the ocean's equilibrium. "These are ecosystems that have evolved over millions and millions of years," he told CNN. "As soon as you start to take out an important part of it, it's like a brick wall, you take out bricks (and) eventually it's going to collapse."

The soup, which is considered a delicacy in China, Taiwan and Singapore, has become more popular as China's middle class has increased.