Maxim's Restaurant Chain Accused Of Lying

Around 30 people staged a protest outside Maxim's headquarters in Lai Chi Kok on Friday afternoon, accusing the restaurant chain of lying about its no-shark-fin commitment.

They said Maxim's had claimed it had phased out all shark fin dishes from its a la carte menus by 2017. But an earlier undercover investigation by WildAid Hong Kong found that 10 out of its 55 restaurants it looked into were still offering shark-fin dishes on special menus that were given out upon request.

A campaigner with WildAid Alex Hofford said they were angry that shark fins are still being served because of cruelty and sustainability considerations.

"They cut the fins off the animals when they're still alive, and then they chuck it back in the ocean to die a very brutal and suffocating death," he said.

In response, Maxim's said in a statement that it had designated four of its Chinese restaurants as "shark-free restaurants", including two M&C Duck, the Cha Cha Room, and The Pond.

It added that Maxim's has been following the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List, and only used shark-fin from blue sharks, which currently belong to the "lower risk - near threatened " species list.

Maxim's also said that all its suppliers had to provide legal shark-fin import documentation that meets regulatory requirements.