What is shark finning and why is it a problem?

Asked by: Angela Galvan

Shark finning is a brutal practice. A shark is caught, pulled onboard a boat, its fins are cut off, and the still-living shark is tossed back overboard to drown or bleed to death. The wasteful, inhumane practice is done to satisfy a demand for shark fins, which can fetch as much as $300 per pound.

What is the problem with shark finning?

Shark finning is unsustainable. Not only do humans decimate shark populations, but sharks have low reproductive rates, making repopulation difficult. Many types of sharks are exploited for their fins, including endangered species such as the Scalloped Hammerhead and Great Hammerhead.

What is the purpose of shark finning?

Shark finning at sea enables fishing vessels to increase profitability and increase the number of sharks harvested, as they must only store and transport the fins, by far the most profitable part of the shark; the shark meat is bulky to transport.

What does shark finning do to sharks?

Typically, sharks are finned alive—brought aboard fishing vessels to have their fins sliced off, then thrown back into the sea, where they suffocate, bleed to death, or are eaten by other animals. Appallingly, the animals are usually conscious through much of the ordeal.

Why are shark fins illegal?

But that would be against state law. California is one of 12 states that bans the sale of shark fins—measures to help prevent further declines of shark populations and to deter finning, which has been illegal in U.S. waters since 2000.

Why we should stop eating shark fin?

Recent evidence tells us that shark fins contain high concentration of mercury and methylmercury, which toxins may cause potential health impact including the risk of neurological disorders, infertility, and coronary heart disease.

Does removing a shark’s fin cause death to the shark?

The fins of a shark are usually discarded into the sea after they have been removed. The shark sinks to the ocean floor without its fins, suffocates or bleeds to death. The carcasses are usually discarded because they take up so much space that could otherwise be used to store more valuable fins.

Why do Chinese eat shark fin soup?

Shark fin soup is a traditional delicacy in Chinese cuisine and has been served in Chinese restaurants worldwide for decades. The often-expensive dish is deemed as a symbol of prestige and often consumed during celebratory events like the Lunar New Year or wedding banquets. However, the shark fin itself is flavorless.

Does shark fishing hurt the shark?

Although many fishermen think that they do not hurt sharks because they always release them after they are caught, this is in fact untrue. In recent years, biologists have come to discover that catch and release is harmful to sharks.

Who kills sharks for fins?

It is the gruesome practice of cutting off a live shark’s fins and throwing the rest of the animal back into the sea, where it dies a slow and painful death. The fins are used in China and Hong Kong, and by Chinese communities elsewhere in the world, as the key ingredient in shark-fin soup.

Do sharks feel pain?

Fish also have been observed by scientists to learn, have memory and adapt their behavior to new circumstances, arguing for their sentience. Fish are not senseless beasts, and fish feel pain, including sharks. Read more in this article by Dr. Carl Safina in Animal Sentience.

Where is shark finning most popular?

Hong Kong and Guangzhou, mainland China, are the largest shark fin markets and consumption centers in the world.

Can shark live without fin?

The shark is usually still alive when it goes back into the water. It can’t swim without its fins, and it slowly sinks toward the ocean bottom, where it suffocates or is eaten alive by other fish. Why do fishermen do it? Shark fins are used to make shark fin soup, a delicacy in China.

How did shark finning start?

The practice is thought to have arisen in China about 1000 ce primarily for the purpose of supplying fins for shark fin soup served to guests at social occasions where the dish is symbolic of the host’s status.

How much of the shark is wasted due to finning?

Estimates suggest that 26 to 73 million sharks are killed each year in the shark fin trade, a brutal practice where many sharks are finned alive and left to bleed to death once dumped overboard. Shark finning is also a wasteful practice, as only one-to-five percent of the shark is used while the rest is wasted.

What does China do with shark fins?

Shark fin soup is a traditional soup or stewed dish served in parts of China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. The shark fins provide texture, while the taste comes from the other soup ingredients. It is commonly served at special occasions such as weddings and banquets, or as a luxury item.

Why are sharks being hunted?

Commercial fisheries targeting sharks exist throughout the world. Sharks are sought primarily for their fins (for shark fin soup) and their meat but also for their cartilage, liver and skin. Up to 73 million sharks are killed every year, according to an analysis of the Hong Kong shark fin trade.

Which country kills the most sharks?

The top 10 shark fishing nations, in order, are: Indonesia, India, Spain, Taiwan, Argentina, Mexico, Pakistan, the United States, Japan, and Malaysia, with Thailand, France, Brazil, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Portugal, Nigeria, Iran, the United Kingdom, and South Korea following, comprising the top 20 fishing nations.

Why are sharks scared of dolphins?

Dolphins are mammals that live in pods and are very clever. They know how to protect themselves. When they see an aggressive shark, they immediately attack it with the whole pod. This is why sharks avoid pods with many dolphins.

What happens dead shark?

When they die naturally, they sink to the seafloor, where they are eaten by scavengers. However, when they are hunted by humans, they are removed from the ocean, disrupting the ocean’s carbon cycle.