One of Asia’s most prestigious hotel chains said it would stop selling shark fin from January, in a move hailed as a historic breakthrough by campaigners to protect the threatened predators.

The owner of the Peninsula Hotels group said the decision was made “in recognition of the threat facing the global shark population and in line with the company’s sustainability vision”.

The company will honour banquet bookings involving shark fin products made prior to November 21, it added.

Shark fin soup is an expensive staple at wedding parties and business banquets in the Hong Kong hotel.

Peninsula operates nine hotels including in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo and New York.

The ban was announced as the European Commission called for a full ban on shark finning at sea – the practice of slicing off the valuable fins and throwing the body overboard to drown.

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