delicacy 復習
日本でも食べられているスッポンですが、絶滅危惧種としてリストに登録されました。
Suppon turtle added to intl endangered list
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources on Tuesday updated its Red List of Threatened Species to add the Chinese softshell turtle, known in Japan as suppon.
The turtle, a delicacy in Asia, was added in the category of “vulnerable,” the third-highest among the IUCN’s five categories reflecting the degree of extinction risk.
The turtle, whose scientific name is Pelodiscus sinensis, has come under threat of extinction due to increasing riverbank protection work and overhunting. The species is about 30 centimeters long and lives in rivers and ponds in Asia, such as China, Japan and Taiwan. It has a softer shell and stronger biting power than other turtles.
According to the Japan Committee for the IUCN, several million softshell turtles are being farmed in Asia. But their number in the wild is believed to have decreased substantially.
Among other species, the IUCN now categorizes the Japanese weasel, or Mustela itatsi, as “near threatened,” raising the level of extinction risk to the fourth of the five categories.
http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0003060078
今回取り上げるのは delicacy です。日本語では「気配り」という意味でデリカシーと言ったりしますが、今回の記事ではこれとは違う意味で用いられています。『ライトハウス英和辞典』（第5版 研究社）で調べてみますと、1つ目の意味に「おいしいもの、珍味、ごちそう」とありました。LDOCEには “something good to eat that is expensive or rare” とありました。
日本国内では養殖が行われているため、食用への影響は出ないだろうと考えられているようです。
この表現は過去にも取り上げられておりました。(aqua)
