The Shark Finning Industry

Sharks have been feared ever since people first observed them swimming in the vast ocean. Yet today, sharks are declining rapidly on a global scale because humans have replaced them as the ocean's top predators. Shark populations face the threat of extinction in nearly every part of the world primarily due to overfishing driven by the high demand of shark fins.

Shark finning is the practice of removing the shark fins after it has been caught in a fishery. The fins are kept and the body of the shark is typically returned to the sea, often while the shark is still alive. Unable to swim or pass water across its gills, the shark dies from suffocation, blood loss, or predation by other species. Shark fins are tempting targets for fishermen because they have high monetary and cultural value. They are used in a popular dish called shark fin soup, which is a symbol of status in Chinese culture. This popularity has not faded with time and has even expanded with China's growing population. As a result, fishermen have a large incentive to gather and sell shark fins.

Approximately 100 million sharks are killed globally each year, and one of the major incentives for this is the shark fin trade. With their slow growth and low reproductive rates, sharks are highly susceptible to extinction as it is difficult for many shark species to replenish their populations as quickly as they are being diminished. Many species of sharks are currently in danger due to shark finning, including the scalloped hammerhead, which is endangered, and the smooth hammerhead. Between 1.3 and 2.7 million of just these two sharks are killed every year in the shark fin trade. Today, some shark populations have decreased by 60-70% due to human shark fisheries. Such dramatic population plunges are not only dangerous for sharks but also for entire ecosystems. When shark populations decrease, a ripple effect can spread throughout the rest of the ecosystem, throwing it out of balance.

As apex predators, sharks play an important role in the ecosystem by maintaining the species below them in the food chain and serving as an indicator for ocean health. They help remove the weak and the sick as well as keeping the balance with competitors helping to ensure species diversity. Around the world, people are realizing how critical sharks are to ecosystems and people, and officials are beginning to protect sharks on a variety of scales. But more needs to be done. Without sharks, our oceans could experience detrimental consequences. 
So, what should be done? Do you think shark finning practices should be banned worldwide? Can the declining shark populations be saved?

Comments

Unknown said…
There are numerous ways in which all of us can do our part in helping to bring an end to, or at the very least regulating and minimizing the practice of shark finning. An easy method would be to utilize different social media platforms as a method to spread awareness regarding this practice and to educate others in ways they can actually help stop this practice. Another way to bring awareness to and bring an end to the practice of shark finning is the implementation of individual or organized boycotts of restaurants that use shark fins since if the restaurants that use shark fins observe a large decline in their number of customers, then they might be persuaded to stop purchasing them in order to earn more money. This could potentially result in a decline in the demand for shark fins and could influence the catchers of sharks to halt the supply of shark fins. Aside from the complete banning of procuring shark fins, governments could also regulate the numbers of sharks that fishermen catch. In all, something must be done in order to reduce the occurrence of shark finning. (Source: https://yp.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/104246/10-things-you-can-do-help-stop-shark-finning).
May 7, 2019 at 12:21 PM
Anonymous said…
I think that shark finning practices should be banned worldwide. The practice of finning a shark just to make a delicacy is outrageous, especially if sharks are endangered. If customers stop purchasing shark fin products that the producer will stop what they are doing becuase the demand is too low. This is an important issue that should definitely gain more attention.
May 7, 2019 at 2:40 PM
Luke Farinelli said…
Out of all the animals to be effected by the tragedy of the commons you would think sharks would be safe, but I am super surprised that we've actually caused as much harm as you claim. Really really sad but unfortunately I don't know what Americans can necessarily do besides shame the Chinese for their horrible fishing.
May 7, 2019 at 8:51 PM
Anonymous said…
Although this practice is horrific and upsetting, there is not a lot that can be done. Politically, China is far too powerful to impose sanctions or shame them into submission. If China was economically weak, then the United Nations and the United States would be able to ban the practice. However, the declining populations can be saved and we should make an active effort to do so.
May 8, 2019 at 8:47 AM
Anonymous said…
I find it really shocking that humans are the sole cause for the danger of sharks and their fins. Whether it be for food or for aesthetic purposes, these actions to obtain the fin is immoral. I believe that these practices will be extremely difficult to remove because the shark fin soup is seen as a way of social status. The Chinese, as well as people in general, really care about their social status and will go to drastic measures to have a high social status.
May 8, 2019 at 12:12 PM
Anonymous said…
This is really sad because humans tend to have this misconception that they face an unproportionate amount of danger from sharks. In reality, the probability of a fatal shark attack is extremely low, and humans are not the primary target of sharks. The finning industry is stimulated by our irrational fear of “cruel” and “monstrous” animals, when sharks are really just like any other predator species. We should pay special attention to the well-being of sharks. If we look away for too long, they could soon disappear.
May 8, 2019 at 12:24 PM
Abby Jung said…
I was aware of the overharvesting of the shark fins, but I was opened to the fact that they dump the sharks back into the water as if they are doing a favor. It is very inhumane of the poachers to dump the soon to be carcasses back into the ocean. If the whole world begins to make a huge deal out of this, Chinese people will slow down and may stop the finning of the sharks. If China receives harsh criticisms for their actions, they will try to fix their actions.
May 8, 2019 at 12:24 PM
Anonymous said…
Despite the horrible impacts that shark finning has on shark populations is there anything much that Americans can do to help the population. All we can do is get our global community to shame the Asian countries but is that really that worth it. We as a consumer could boycott however.
May 9, 2019 at 10:02 AM
Anonymous said…
I think the best mode of action would be to spread awareness about how sharks are endangered, urging people to boycott the shark fins being sold in the market. Perhaps, people not purchasing it will make the restaurants that serve it realize that they are not making a profit which could ideally help this endangered species.
May 9, 2019 at 10:46 AM
Anonymous said…
The fact that an endangered species is being hunted down and killed simply to sell a delicacy is horrific. Unfortunately, there isn’t much we can do to physically stop the killing of sharks. However, we could spread awareness through social media and the internet. Bringing awareness to this issue could get legislation to take action against this horror.
May 10, 2019 at 7:26 AM
Caroline Tuggle said…
Just seeing the picture at the beginning of this blog broke my heart. The finning industry is sick and I think that it should be completely stopped in its tracks . Finning is on the same level as trophy hunting, taking tusks of elephants and other animals, etc and i belive that if more people actually knew the facts and statistics about the issue, it would not be nearly as popular .
May 10, 2019 at 1:19 PM
Anonymous said…
It is truly a crime against nature to hunt species that are endangered. This finning industry sickens me, and it should be put to a stop immediately. To stop this from happening, we need to spread awareness against this industry. If people knew about how bad it is, it would deter them from doing it.
May 11, 2019 at 7:39 PM
Anonymous said…
Overexploitation of large apex marine predators is widespread in the world’s oceans, yet the timing and extent of declines are poorly understood. Concurrent declines in body size and the probability of encountering mature individuals suggests that apex shark populations are more vulnerable to exploitation than previously thought. Ongoing declines and lack of recovery of vulnerable and protected shark species are a cause for concern. In terrestrial ecosystems, habitat loss and hunting have been the primary drivers of decline in large vertebrate species. The removal of large carnivores in terrestrial systems has substantial impacts at ecosystem scales. Declining shark populations must be saved!
May 11, 2019 at 7:43 PM
Anonymous said…
Without doubt, the survival and balance of marine ecosystems is dependent on the shark population in the oceans. Despite shark fins serving cultural importance in places like China, efforts must be taken in order to ensure the continued health of marine ecosystems, as the future impacts of the death of such ecosystems could have terrible implications on mankind. Perhaps the best solution to this issue would be to spread education on the dangers posed to shark populations, and the possible resulting consequences in order to shock fishermen into stopping such unsustainable practices. The health of the environment should always outweigh the needs of a culture, as without a healthy environment, cultures could never even exist.
May 12, 2019 at 3:49 PM
Jibran Khalil said…
The most important way to reduce the exploration of such endangered animals is through government regulations; currently, it seems that the punishments are too lax. People who hunt endangered species need to be fined heavily and imprisoned for long periods of time to ensure that others learn from their mistakes. Also, awareness of the value sharks provide to our ecosystems can reduce the amount that they are hunted; when individuals understand how important sharks are to ecosystems, the amount of hunting will surely decrease.
May 12, 2019 at 9:45 PM
Anonymous said…
I didn’t realize how big of an issue shark finning was. It’s sad that people think it’s acceptable to kill or injure animals for their own benefit. Since sharks are such a major aspect of our ocean ecosystems, it’s important for their populations to be maintained and protected. The government should make more regulations against immoral practices like these to protect from the decrease of biodiversity.
May 13, 2019 at 8:40 AM
Anonymous said…
This is so devastating to read about!! I think that hunting or killing animals for one’s own benefit or entertainment should cease. We are essentially destroying the ecosystem which is intertwined with a lot of organisms. It is important to raise awareness for this because it is important to protect/save these populations.
May 13, 2019 at 12:05 PM
Anonymous said…
Seeing such an important part of the environment slowly killed off by people who only seek personal gain is very disappointing. Rather than bring awareness to the situation and call for fishing reforms or tax increases in hopes of increasing their numbers. It is also important for sharks to remain in the ocean as they are a primary regulator of their environment.
May 13, 2019 at 7:46 PM
Anonymous said…
This post was very informative and helped me understand about the environment a lot. It really helped me get a grasp on the true impact this has had and I belive the government should do something about it. This is devastating and it can contribute to global warming.
May 13, 2019 at 8:39 PM
Anonymous said…
Sharks and their fins, while often villainized by human culture and media, are less harmless to humans than humans themselves. Destroying the ecosystem through killing apex predators is a practice that must be stopped, although shark fin industries would say otherwise. This post helped me understand the true horrors of the shark-fin and fishing industry as a whole.
May 14, 2019 at 12:17 PM
Anonymous said…
I had once heard of times from my parents decades ago of a time when shark fins was a wifely known delicacy that could be readily found. Despite how good this might taste, I am glad that shark finning has since been discouraged widespread in the world. However, I think we could do better. We should further stigmatize the consuming of shark fins in order to try and prevent any further damage. I have watched numerous videos of just sharks struggling to survive in the wild after their main navigation system in the big blue sea has been taken away. The struggling image of these fearsome and strong predators struck a chord with me and ever since then I have pushed for the reduced consuming of these endangered species.
May 14, 2019 at 12:26 PM
Anonymous said…
I was not previously aware that shark fins were used by people for food. However, that shocking news has many large unintended consequences. By taking the fins off these animals, we are destroying ecosystems that not only affect the shark population but also the population of animals that depend on these sharks for food or prey that need to be controlled by the sharks. The fishing industry performs these acts primarily for monetary benefit without paying attention to the long term effects. The change needs to come from the general population, however, as they are the ones fueling this problem. As there is less demand for shark fins, there is less killing of sharks by fishers. We as respectful citizens need to stop buying meat from endangered animals and let these populations replenish themselves.
May 14, 2019 at 12:26 PM
Anonymous said…
These dramatic population plunges are not only dangerous for sharks, but also for the environment; a ripple effect can spread throughout the the ecosystem. Consumers have to act fast and decide what is acceptable and what is not when it comes to vulnerable, uncontrolled species. Traditions change all the time according to new knowledge and shifting values, and extinction must not make the decision for us. We must either control ourselves to ensure sustainable exploitation and trade, or stop trade in luxury species or products that seriously threaten their future on our planet.
May 14, 2019 at 1:20 PM
Anonymous said…
It is incredibly eye opening and shocking that such a ferocious animal like sharks are at real risk. It is completely wrong for people to be demanding these products when they know full well what is being done to the sharks in the process. Although its popularity may be growing, it is still possible for it to be slowed down through other nations speaking up and calling out the practices. Right now, it seems that there is far too little awareness being brought to this issue and that needs to change.
May 14, 2019 at 4:48 PM
Anonymous said…
Most of the time sharks are seen as scary animals because of the stereotype that they are dangerous to humans. In reality, it is we who are dangerous to sharks. I believe that a new policy should be passed to help keep the onslaught of sharks by countries in check. This obviously will not be solved on a state level so it must become a global issue, and we really need to raise awareness for this practice in order to further educate people on this matter.
-Adam Ghanem
May 14, 2019 at 5:28 PM
Anonymous said…
I definitely think that shark finning should be banned worldwide. Sharks are a vital part of our ocean's ecosystem. I understand that they are seen as dangerous and scary to humans, but their diminishing populations will be terrible for us in the end. Laws need to be placed to protect these creatures.
May 16, 2019 at 10:44 AM
Anonymous said…
I was unaware that shark finning was so popular. Something has to be done to stop this from happening. The most effective and quickest way to stop this is from government regulations. The only way to stop people from bringing them to extinction is to ban the practice.
May 17, 2019 at 9:55 AM
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