Sharkfin - the facts
Shark Finning
Shark finning is the cruel practice of cutting the fins of sharks while they are still alive. The finless sharks are then thrown back into the sea to suffer a slow death. Death eventually comes through suffocation, starvation or predation.
Common Practice
Not all sharks that are caught for the shark fin trade are finned alive, but business pressures and the high value of the fins in comparison to the meat mean that this cruel, inhumane and wasteful practice is commonly reported.
Hong Kong: shark fin capital
Hong Kong handles 50-80% of all shark fin trade. Every year 100 million sharks are killed, 73 million for shark fin soup. Sharks are slow breeders and this rate of harvest is unsustainable. Over 120 species are now endangered and listed on the IUCN Red List.
The Facts
100 million sharks are killed each year
Studies have shown that up to 100 million sharks are killed each year. Over 73 million of these are for the sharks fin trade, while the remaining 27 million are caught for food or as unintentional 'by-catch'.
Cruel Practice
The shark fishing industry is unregulated and reports of the removal of fins from live sharks are common. The finless sharks are often dumped back into the ocean to suffer a slow and cruel death.
Sharks are slow breeders
Most species of Shark take many years to reach sexual maturity and have a relatively small number of young. This means they are very susceptible to over-fishing as they simply cannot reproduce quickly enough to keep up with demand.
126 species of shark on the IUCN Red list
In 1996 there were some 15 species of Shark on the IUCN Red List for threatened species. That figure has dramatically increased in the last decade to 126 species. Studies on many populations of shark species have shown a decrease ranging from 80% to 99%!
Sharks are important for marine ecosystems
The loss of Sharks is already having an effect on marine ecosystems. In some areas the populations of shellfish has plummeted due to the increase in their predators, predators that were previously controlled by the Sharks.
Hong Kong is the world's largest shark's fin trading centre.
Hong Kong handles over half the world's trade in sharks fin, possibly as much as 80% of it! Hong Kong imports between 6000-10000 tonnes of shark fin each year, and amount that has been increasing with continued economic development in China.
Traditional Dish
Sharks Fin soup was established as an ingredient in formal Chinese banquets in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644AD) as a rare dish that was difficult or expensive to obtain. As the shark fin itself has minimal taste or nutritional value, the only real purpose of serving the dish was to show status.
Modern Times
Improved fishing technology such as faster boats, large scale fishing methods and the use of technology such as radar, has enabled much larger captures of shark species. Shark fin soup has become much more available and this once exclusive dish, previously only found in the southern provinces of Guangdong and Fujian or in the most major of cities of China has become widely available throughout China's cities. It is ironic that a dish that owes its value to its historical scarcity is now so commonly available, and this in itself highlights how unnecessary and pointless this tradition is.
Increase economic development has meant that the demand for shark fin soup now far outstrips the sustainable yield of the oceans. Extinction of many species of shark is inevitable unless the practice of eating shark fin soup is stopped.
What can you do?
Abstain
Do not eat shark fin soup or consume any other shark products. If you are invited to banquets or corporate functions tell the host in advance that you do not want this dish.
Choose
If you are arranging your own banquet then make sure shark fin soup is not included. If possible choose a restaurant that does not serve shark fin at all (WWF HK has a list here).
Inform
Tell your friends and relatives about the plight of the sharks and persuade them not to eat shark fin soup.
Support
Support initiatives by both Hong Kong and international organisations to ban the sharks fin trade.
Act
If you hold a senior position in a restaurant or a company, add animal welfare into your Environmental Policy and ensure that you take positive action to ensure your company does not consume any shark fin soup or shark related products.
