|
The demand for shark fin is so great that, within a few short decades, sharks are being dangerously overfished. Many species are in danger of extinction and shark populations worldwide are disappearing.
Countless millions of sharks killed each year
Research indicates that each year, the fins of tens of millions of sharks are harvested, with their fins entering the shark fin trade.
Photo by Shawn Heinrichs, for Shark Savers
1/3 of shark species threatened with extinction
The highly respected International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has recently reported that 1/3 of shark species are threatened with extinction. In the high seas, the situation is even worse, with 52% of shark species in danger of extinction. China is a member of the IUCN, together with 90 other countries. Sharks are being targeted by fishermen worldwide at an astonishing rate because the value of shark fins have risen so in recent decades as demand for shark fin soup grows. This has resulted in some regions of the world, such as the Mediterranean and parts of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, having already lost as much as 90% of their sharks.
“Sharkfinning” kills the shark just for the fins
Because the primary market for sharks is limited to their fins, many of these sharks are killed just for their fins. In a deplorable practice called ‘sharkfinning’ the sharks are caught and their fins are cut off. The rest of the shark is then thrown into the ocean, often while they are still alive. That is not only a terribly cruel practice, but is highly wasteful, with about 95% of the fish being thrown away.
Sharks reproduce slowly
What makes matters worse is sharks cannot reproduce as quickly as other fish. Other types of fish tend to reach sexual maturity quickly—perhaps within a year—and lay millions of eggs each year. In contrast, sharks reach sexual maturity after ten or more years and then produce very few offspring. This makes it even harder for sharks to naturally recover from such relentless overfishing. There are no international laws that are effective in stopping this destruction of sharks. Sharks will continue to be killed at high rates until we stop serving and eating shark fin soup. When the buying stops, the killing can too.
Download:
WildAid’s Shark Conservation Report Bleeding the oceans dry.pdf |
