What is shark fining?
Shark Finning is a process in which a shark is caught and then pulled onto a boat. Then its fins are cut off and it is thrown back into the ocean still alive to bleed to death.
What is its purpose?
Shark finning is very popular in various asian cultures since it is typically used for a popular dish called shark fin soup6. The fins are mostly used for texture and novelty in soups and it has become a symbol of wealth in the Chinese culture. Other than that, the shark fin is useless for humans. There is no nutritional value and it is tasteless12. But sadly, the demand for shark fin is increasing as China’s economy continues to thrive.
Why do they throw most of the shark away?
One pound of shark fin can be sold for $300 dollars, which is why its meat is less valuable than the fin12. Therefore, fishermen throw the rest of the shark’s body back overboard to save room for more fins since space is limited on the boat12.
Effects on the ocean
The shark fin business is responsible for the death of 88-100 million sharks per year6. Since sharks produce and mature slowly, their population has started to decline. The entire shark population will be wiped out in 10-20 years if nothing is done to stop this horrible business1. Shark finning does not only affect the sharks, but the entire ecosystem of marine life. Since sharks are the top predators of the ocean, they keep populations of other organisms in the food chain in check and weeds out the sick, injured and/or dying species to ensure populations stay strong and healthy1.
What about law enforcement?
There are some laws worldwide that are trying to stop shark finning, but these laws are very difficult to enforce. The 2000 U.S. Shark Finning Prohibition Act bans shark finning in all federal waters and coasts, but laws like these are never enforced12. Instead, the country would need to monitor the ocean and punish those who break the law. If regulations became more effective and there was enforcement on laws then there would be a decrease in the demand for shark fins, lower the selling price, and would later become unappealing economically for fishermen. Unfortunately, even these efforts seem difficult as shark fin soup has become embedded in Asian culture.
no more shark fining
Is it really worth it?
*WARNING: This page contains graphic images *
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