The popularity of shark meat, the demand for shark fins for shark fin soup, and the harvesting of deep sea sharks for squalene and other products has directly led to severe population declines among many shark species.
Compared to bony fishes, elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) have extremely low reproductive rates and a generally late age of maturity. Where there is no fishing pressure, these inherent biological traits help to self regulate shark populations, but where fishing pressure is high (almost everywhere), sharks have a very limited capacity to recover from population losses.
When hunting, sharks target the weakest fishes because they are easiest to catch. Removing weak and sick individuals from bony fish populations inadvertently strengthens their gene pool. Removing sharks allows diseases to run rampant and jeopardizes the overall health of our oceans.
In mainland China, Hong Kong, and to a lesser degree some other east Asian countries, shark fin soup is a dish traditionally served at banquets and celebrations. With the rise of the middle class in China in the second half of the 20th century, the demand for shark fin soup dramatically increased. Some American researchers estimated that by the 1980’s as many as 200 million sharks were being caught annually.
Currently, Hong Kong and Mainland China are the largest consumers of fins along with Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Viet Nam.
Ironically, the fins add little flavour to the soup. The fibres in the fins are extracted and boiled down to produce a noodle-like base that is added to a flavoured soup stock.
As shark fin soup rose in popularity, the demand for shark fins soon exceeded the demand for shark meat. Rather than waste space in their holds, fishing vessels began finning sharks at sea and discarding the commercially worthless carcasses. This allowed them to kill far more sharks on each trip.
Never eat sharkfin soup and refuse to patronize restaurants that do. Avoid any medicines or supplements that profess to utilizing the healing power of shark cartilage or any other part of a shark. Don’t buy shark teeth (unless fossilized), shark jaws, or any items made with shark skin.
Join groups that are working to ban over fishing.
The Shark Trust in the UK is active in lobbying against finning and puts pressure on governments to outlaw long-lining of sharks.
Sea Shepherd takes a more radical approach. They have a ship on permanent patrol at the Galapagos Islands, and have been responsible for disrupting illegal long-lining in the marine park.
The Ocean Conservancy petitions the US government on issues often directly related to the over fishing of sharks and rays.
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