Stop The Shark Finning Operations

Say no to shark fin, and save a life

When you hear the word “sharks”, you probably think of a fearsome hunter as images of the great white from Jaws fill your mind. However, sharks have been declining rapidly as the demand for shark fins increase, and their title as the ocean’s top predator has been replaced by humans.

Every year, millions of sharks die a slow, agonizing death because of shark finning. Shark finning is the inhumane act of removing fins from sharks caught in a fishery. Once their fins are cut off, they are kept while the body is thrown back into the ocean, often while they are still alive. Unable to swim without their fins or pass water across their gills, the sharks are left to die, either bleeding to death, eaten by other predators or from suffocation as they sink to the bottom of the ocean.

Many fishermen are only interested in the fins, which is only one to five percent of the shark’s weight, as shark fins are now among the most expensive seafood items in the world, sometimes selling for as much as a thousand US dollars for one kilogram. They are also tempting targets for fishermen as they have high monetary and cultural value. Therefore, it is more economically beneficial to use the limited space on a vessel to store the high-priced shark fins than to fill it with the low-priced meat of the shark’s body. The body also contains urea, which turns into ammonia once the shark has died and can contaminate other fish.

Shark fins are being harvested in large numbers to satisfy the growing demand for shark fin soup, which is an Asian “delicacy”.

Shark fin soup has been a long-standing tradition at Chinese festive celebrations and wedding banquets and is also a symbol of status in the Chinese culture. In the past, Chinese emperors favoured the soup as it was thought to have medical benefits and represented a victory against sharks.

Once the shark fins are harvested and dried, they will be sold in markets to either rich individuals or restaurants to be made into shark fin soup. These days, a bowl of shark fin soup can easily cost up to a hundred dollars, are often served at wedding celebrations so that the host can impress their guests with signs of their wealth and prosperity.

The shark fin itself does not add any flavour to the soup, it just provides a gelatinous texture for the soup. Chicken, or other stock, is used to add flavour.

Not only is the practice of shark finning animal cruelty, but it can also have a catastrophic effect on the shark populations around the world. At least 8,000 tonnes of shark fins have been shipped around the world to restaurants.

Many fishermen have reported that sharks are getting smaller because they have not been given enough time to mature. Sharks can take over seven years to reach maturity and they only raise one or two pups each year. With their slow growth and low reproductive rates, sharks are likely to go extinct if action is not taken immediately.  

Over thirty species of sharks are listed as threatened, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), including the scalloped hammerhead, which is endangered, and the smooth hammerhead, which is vulnerable. Today, the population of many shark species has decreased by over 70 to 90% due to human shark fisheries.

The consequences of the decline in shark populations on the ocean life are immense. Sharks are considered the apex predators of the ocean and they are what stabilizes the ecosystem, just like the pillars of a building. Once they are gone, there will be negative effects on both other ocean creatures and human alike. Populations of smaller sharks and rays will increase, consuming more fishes and in turn, fishermen will catch lesser fish which will affect their business.

There are several ways that campaign groups, government bodies and organizations alike are trying to address this cruel practice – by placing bans on finning, trade restrictions, and shark sanctuaries.

Shark finning is banned in several countries, however, illegal activities still occur and the capacity for enforcement in many countries is lacking. Finning has been reported in areas such as Australia, Costa Rica, the Marshall Islands, and Cocos Islands.

There is still a long way to go before the shark fin soup will be relegated to history. A survey conducted found that shark fin soup is still served at 98% of Hong Kong restaurants. Finning bans alone are not enough to reduce the number of sharks being killed and a variety of different approaches to this practice may be the key to making more progress towards protecting the sharks.

But the real power to end the disgusting and gruesome fin trade is firmly rooted in the consumer.