Claudia Li 李妍蕙

Claudia Li

Hails from: First generation Chinese-Canadian that grew up in Beautiful British Columbia, Canada in a traditional Chinese family. 
Currently lives in: Vancouver, Canada
Favorite Place: Elfin Lakes
Favorite Things to Do: Rock climbing, cycling, cooking and winter camping. 
Favorite Shark: Whale Shark

What shark are you most like and why?
Whale sharks are the gentle giants of the sea. Completely docile but with an undeniably strong presence, they command your attention in a truly majestic way.

If you could tell people one thing about about sharks and/or the oceans, what would it be?
I had a lot of shark fin growing up – probably at least fifty bowls. It wasn’t until I watched the documentary Sharkwater that I realized how wasteful and ecologically destructive shark finning was – I had no idea. I knew at that moment that we had to take action to protect sharks.

Growing up with the tradition of shark fin at family banquets, I realized that we have the responsibility to stand up as a community to protect sharks.

Read Claudia's story

Learn More:
Shark Truth: http://sharktruth.org
Facebook: http://facebook.com/sharktruth
Twitter: http://twitter.com/carreralee
Linked In: http://ca.linkedin.com/in/claudiali

Short Bio:
When Claudia founded Shark Truth in June 2009, she had eaten shark fin soup at a family dinner banquet a only weeks before. “I had a lot of shark fin growing up – probably at least fifty bowls.

Claudia holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University with concentrations in Marketing, International Business and an Honours in Sustainability. A first generation Chinese-Canadian and an epicurean at heart, she realized the power of cross-cultural storytelling to invoke change in her community when it came to shark fin soup.

Claudia was recently named “Top 30 Under 30″ by Explore Magazine and has won numerous awards for her dedication and leadership in the community. Read her perspective on sharks in the Vancouver Sun or find out more about her in Burnaby Now or Ming Pao magazine.

Food and family are the heart of Claudia’s passion. She is often found jamming in the kitchen with her father, testing out old family recipes. She is also an outdoors enthusiast and enjoys rock climbing, hiking and snow camping. Ironically, she is currently working to improve her crummy swimming skills.