Cathay Pacific has bowed to pressure from environmental groups and banned shark fin from its cargo flights as well as on its subsidiary carrier Dragonair. The move by the airline - believed by environmentalists to fly up to 50 per cent of all shark fin imported by air to Hong Kong - was hailed as a major victory for opponents of the trade, reported the South China Morning Post. Cathay imposed the ban Dragonair weeks after receiving a letter signed by 40 groups ranging from Greenpeace Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society to the US-based Humane Society Internationaland Ric O'Barry's Dolphin Project. The green groups estimate that Cathay flew up to 650 tonnes of shark fin into Hong Kong last year. The airline has declined to put a figure on how much it carried, but is understood to have told campaigners that it only carries a fraction of that amount. The airline said: "Cathay Pacific has decided to stop shipping unsustainably sourced sharks and shark-related products." "The carrier expects the transition to this new policy will take approximately three months as it notifies shippers and puts the appropriate procedures in place. However, effective immediately, Cathay Pacific will not enter into any new contracts in this regard." Cathay Pacific said it had been researching the issue for "a very long time". "Due to the vulnerable nature of sharks, their rapidly declining population, and the impact of overfishing for their parts and products, our carriage of these is inconsistent with our commitment to sustainable development," it said. Hong Kong-based photographer Alex Hofford,co-author of the letter, said: "The airline's move sends a strong signal to the trade and to Hong Kong in general. For a big blue-chip company like Cathay Pacific to do the right thing is brilliant," Hofford said the move would restrict the availability of shark fin in Hong Kong and on the mainland. Hong Kong handles about half the world's shark fin trade. "That was the whole idea behind this - to put a stranglehold on the trade," he said. The shark fin the airline transported came primarily from Southeast Asia for the Hong Kong and mainland markets, where shark's fin soup is popular at wedding banquets, she said. The airline stopped serving shark's fin soup to first and business class passengers some years ago. Ali Bullock, the airline's digital marketing manager, said: "I'm really proud of Cathay Pacific for taking a bold and important environmental step to protect sharks."(cargonewsasia)