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Sharks face the threat of extinction in every part of the world primarily due to overfishing. The over-fishing is driven by the high demand for shark fins. However, there are additional, serious threats facing sharks that include "Bycatch" where sharks are killed when other seafood is being targeted, recreational fishing, sharks being used for ingredients in cosmetics or health supplements, destruction of habitat, and more.
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Customs data shows that more than 100 countries are involved in the business of trading in shark fins. Most are exporters while the main consumer nations are mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. The United States and the European Union also import significant quantities to local Chinese communities. Consumers are largely unaware of the origins of shark fin. Studies in Hong Kong and Taiwan show that consumers have little understanding of where shark fin soup comes from, of overfishing, of illegal shark fishing or of the practice of finning.
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Shark fin soup is responsible for the destruction of shark populations throughout the world. Shark fin soup has been a Chinese delicacy since the Ming Dynasty. Back then, only the Emperor and his guests ate it. Until about twenty years ago, shark fin soup was served mostly in Hong Kong and other cities with Chinese populations, but only rarely in China, itself. This relatively low consumption of shark fin soup did not result in a significant problem for shark survival. But now, many of the 1.3 billion people of China are enjoying more prosperity. Shark fin soup has become popular, even obligatory, at banquets, business dinners, and weddings. That adds up to a lot of shark fin soup, and a lot of sharks are being killed for this soup.
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Shark fin soup is not just dangerous for sharks, but bad for people, as well.
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We hear many justifications for shark fin soup. In this article, we attempt to refute them. The 'reasons' to eat shark fin soup that we address include: it is an important tradition, shark fin soup is healthy, it is good to kill sharks because they eat our fish, they are not really endangered, it is just Westerners who care about this issue, and more.
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Consuming sharks is not just dangerous for sharks, but bad for people, as well. It is thought to be a source of good health. But, the truth is just the opposite, and most people are unaware of the problems associated with eating sharks – even shark fins.
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Bycatch is when a species of fish or marine mammal is unintentionally caught while fishing for a specific 'target' species.
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It is hard to believe with all we know about sharks, including their dwindling numbers, their critical role in our oceans, and the small risk they actually pose to us, that the archaic process of killing these animals for bather “protection” still exists. But in Australia and South Africa, hundreds of harmless sharks - as well as turtles, dolphins and rays - still meet an untimely death every year. Specifically in and around Durban, South Africa, this is as a result of the 28 kilometers of shark nets installed by KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board (KZNSB).
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Toxins move up the food chain in the oceans and accumulate in increasingly dangerous quantitities. Sharks are at the top, store the most toxins, and should not be eaten.
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Sharks, perhaps more than any other sub-class of animals, are being hunted down at an alarming rate for their fins and many species are verging on extinction.
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The Largest Fish on Coral Reefs were the First to Go. “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone,” as we’re only now finding out.
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