Associated Press

The proposed ban on shark fin sales in California is one of those classic damned if you support it, damned if you don’t kind of issues for Chinese politicians in San Francisco.

After all, there are about 50,000 Chinese immigrant voters in the city who prize shark fin soup as a delicacy and consider it part of their heritage. They mostly view the ban, proposed in the state assembly in February, as an attack on their culture.

But there are also untold thousands of city voters who consider themselves environmentalists and shudder at the thought of illegal shark finning in which fisherman cut the tails and fins off living sharks and throw them back in the water to die. They say a ban on fin sales would help curb the practice.

Earlier in the week, we told you about Mayor Ed Lee’s first-time admission that he opposes the ban and sometimes enjoys a little shark fin soup. Many readers were outraged, and several politicians said they, too, were surprised.

So naturally, we hounded Chinese politicians running for mayor in November with the tenacity of Jaws to pin them down on the issue.

Board President David Chiu has eaten the soup “a handful of times” but it’s certainly not a part of his regular diet. He supports a ban, at least until the dwindling shark population rebounds.

“There won’t be shark fin soup if there aren’t sharks,” he said.

Assessor Phil Ting said he never orders the soup himself, but has eaten it when it’s served to him at Chinese banquets. Like Chiu, he supports the ban because he doesn’t believe shark finning is a sustainable practice.

“I’m hoping there will be discussions down the road to allow an opening for people who are capturing sharks and doing it in a much more sustainable way,” he said. “The challenge is they just can’t differentiate it right now.”

State Sen. Leland Yee made waves when the bill was introduced for calling it “an attack on Asian culture” and posing for pictures with bowls of the soup. He has since back-pedaled a bit, saying he opposes the ban but is a strong supporter of the federal law against shark finning.

The proposed ban has been big news in the Chinese language press throughout the city and state, and the overwhelming majority of editorials have been against the ban.

David Lee, executive director of the Chinese American Voters Education Committee, said the candidates could find themselves in, well, hot water over the ban when campaign fundraising really ramps up.

In Chinatown, Chinese restaurants are at the center of political organizing, fundraising and events – and they’re adamantly opposed to the ban. Lee said the owner of Far East Cafe has been especially outspoken about the issue.

“Every politician in town has been to Far East,” he said.

Lee’s oranizing hasn’t taken a stand. “We’re neutral on food,” he said with a laugh.