Richmond MP Alice Wong has defended her decision to pose for Chinese media while eating a bowl of the controversial shark fin soup.At the Jade restaurant Thursday, Wong spoke to Asian media only, with no local English-speaking media invited.While helping herself to a bowl of the much maligned shark fin soup, Wong was reacting to mounting municipal pressure from Lower Mainland cities, who’re threatening to introduce a ban on shark fin products.Reached by phone on Friday afternoon, Wong told the News that the banning of shark fin products, including the soup – considered a delicacy in Chinese culture - is a federal responsibility and is not for the cities to consider.She said she’s confident the current federal import regulations are strong enough to stop the shipment into Canada of produce that’s been harvested illegally – namely, the act of finning, where poachers catch a shark, slice off its fin and…

City council has formally passed a by-law to ban shark fin products in Calgary, but it's unlikely it will be enforced anytime soon. Council has plans to consult with the Chinese community, and may amend the by-law in the future. They've tabled the second and third readings of the by-law until they have more information. Shark fins are often used for a traditional Chinese soup, but many object to the way the animals are killed and harvested. For now, Calgary follows in the footsteps of 13 other Canadian municipalities. The by-law is expected to officially come into effect in July 2013. ...

HOBE SOUND, Fla. - Just before the lifeguards finished their shift from the lookout post at Hobe Sound Beach, the normally-peaceful spot may have turned into a site of a shark attack. Hobe Sound resident Joseph Rush said around 5:00 p.m., he heard from other beach-goers someone was bitten by a shark. "We see some commotion going down on the beach, and somebody said 'shark.' I wanted to kind of get some photos of it, maybe put it on YouTube," he said. Rush said he saw the victim's toe was bandaged, and the victim, a male, was able to limp to the ambulance. "You see sharks do more damage than that, and usually you'd be coming up on a stretcher," said Rush. As an experienced body-boarder and self-proclaimed "beach bum," Rush does admit the possibility of the bite being from a small shark. He said it's the time of year…