Philippine Airlines (PAL) said Thursday it has stopped flying shark fin cargoes, joining a number of other Asia-Pacific carriers in taking a stand for marine conservation.

The fins are used in shark fin soup, a much-valued delicacy in Hong Kong and China.

Conservationists say booming demand for such fins has put pressure on the world's shark populations, prompting calls for measures to restrict their trade.

"PAL values the issue on protection and conservation of endangered marine life seriously, recognising that the company's long-term interest is and should be consistent with sustainable and responsible business practices," a PAL statement said.

Air New Zealand as well as South Korea's two largest airlines, Korean Air and Asiana, separately announced last year that they would ban shark fins from their cargo flights, a year after Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific also stopped shipping them.

Fiji Airways announced last year it would no longer carry "shark fins and shark-related products sourced from unsustainable and unverified sources", and would only carry fins from species not threatened with extinction.