After the success of the campaign against Hong Kong Disneyland to take the dish off its menu, environmentalist groups are now pressuring major Hong Kong hotels to do the same.

``We are trying to engage their attention and get them involved,'' said the activists' leader, marine conservationist Brian Darvell.

Hong Kong Environment Secretary Sarah Liao has also been urged to join in the

campaign to have shark's fin soup disappear as a menu item.

``It will be a difficult discussion, and we will deal with it one step at a time,'' said Darvell.

Disney backed down from its plans to offer the soup on its wedding-banquet menus at its Hong Kong resort after the launch of the global protest in May.

Activists now hope that high-end hotels will follow suit and set an example for other establishments.

``Because the item is popular all over Hong Kong, all hotels are going to look at it in a longer-term solution,'' said a spokesman from the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. ``I don't think any decision will be made right now to take it off the menu.''

Darvell says one of the main reasons why discussions with the hotels will be difficult is the issue of profit. Although shark populations are declining, the soup remains extremely popular in Asia.

``There is an awful lot of ignorance about the interconnection of species in ecosystems,'' Darvell said

Both parties agree that it will take several discussions and step-by-step planning to deal with the conflict.

``I would only think that, from the customer demand - not just in hotels, but also restaurants - it doesn't make sense for them to take it off their menus,'' the Ritz-Carlton spokesman added.

Shark's fin soup, which accounts for about 85 percent of world shark-fin sales, has caused shark populations to drop dramatically worldwide, according to activists.

The harvesting technique, called ``finning'' - in which hunters cut off the fins and throw the rest of the fish back into the water to die - is what environmentalists are concerned about.

Marine biologists estimate that this technique kills millions of sharks each month and blames it for putting 250 of the more than 400 species on the World Conservation Union's Red List of threatened creatures.

According to Darvell, 100 million sharks are killed a year to serve shark fin soup.

``We have a global duty to try to do something constructive,'' he said.