<P> Based on information gathered from the Hong Kong trade in fins, the market was estimated in 2004 to be growing by 5% each year . Consumption of shark fin soup had risen dramatically with the affluence of the middle class, as Chinese communities around the world enjoyed increasing income levels . The high price of the soup meant it was often used as a way to impress guests, or for celebrations such as weddings, banquets, and important business deals . It was used to communicate wealth, power, and prestige, as it was believed to show respect, honor, and appreciation to guests, with 58 percent of those questioned in the WWF survey indicating they ate the soup at a celebration or gathering . </P> <P> In Hong Kong restaurants, where the market had been strong, demand from Hong Kong natives had reportedly dropped in 2006 . This was more than balanced by an increase in demand from the Chinese mainland, where economic growth put the expensive delicacy within the reach of an expanding middle class . </P> <P> A survey carried out in China in 2006 by WildAid and the Chinese Wildlife Conservation Association found that 35% of participants said they had consumed shark fin soup in the last year, while 83% of participants in an online survey conducted by the World Wide Fund for Nature said that they had consumed shark fin soup at some time . </P> <P> Shark fins are imported in massive amounts by Vietnam . </P>

What is the purpose of a shark fin