THAILAND

The sales of Thai restaurants serving shark's fin soup have declined significantly after an international environmental organisation released a report stating that the mammal's fins contained mercury. Fifteen restaurants of Bangkok claim they have suffered a loss of about us $2.3 million after the report was released by the us -based environmental group, Wild Aid. The report had stated that sharks' fins exported mainly from Hong Kong and sold in restaurants throughout the world contained dangerously high levels of mercury.