Chinatown group sues over shark fin soup

Bans on exotic foods from foie gras to shark fin soup have got SF residents in a huff.

The Chinatown Neighborhood Association filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the state of California in an attempt to lift the ban on the shark fin delicacy.

The lawsuit claims the ban is discriminatory. It alleges that it attacks Chinese people, who sometimes use shark fins for cultural practices.

Chinese couples traditionally serve the soup at wedding receptions.

The practice, however, may be disappearing in places other than California.

The Chinese government recently passed a ban on shark fin soup being served at official state banquets.

Businesses will no longer be able to serve newly-acquired shark fins in California starting in July 2013.

Supporters of the ban say it will save millions of sharks from hunters who only want to capture and kill the sharks for their fins.

Opponents argue that this practice occurs overseas, not in the U.S.

The law does not ban shark steaks.