About Saving the Sharks and Ending Shark Finning

In many Asian countries shark fin soup is a delicacy that is eaten on special occasions. While it may seem harmless considering it is a cultural delicacy, it is in fact having a profound and negative effect on shark populations and the eco-systems of our oceans. Shark finning is the act of catching sharks just to take their valuable fins, which are frequently eaten in soup. Once they get the fins they dump the shark back into the ocean because the body is not worth much and therefore not worth dragging back to shore. Without their fins the sharks are now no longer able to swim, and as a result of the finning they sink to the bottom and suffer a slow and agonizing death. In some cases the sharks "slowly sink toward the bottom where [they are] eaten alive by other fish" ("Shark Education- Shark Finning Facts", Sharkwater). This slow death is inhumane and needs to be stopped. The fins are essential tools that are utilized by the shark and without its fins it can't survive. When it comes down to it, it is all a battle between culture and nature, and this is a battle nature needs to win for the sake of our oceans.

In approximately one decade experts predict that as a result of shark finning most species of sharks will be extinct. Also, an estimated 99% percent of the shark is thrown away which is extremely "wasteful of protein and other shark-based products" ("Shark Education"), and it threatens to disupt the balance of the oceans eco-systems. All of these costs are unacceptable, especially when all that is gained from this terrible act is soup and money. In many Far Eastern countries shark fin soup is used as a "traditional means of honouring special guests or occasions" ("Finning FAQs", Stop Shark Finning Factsheet) and "a single Whale Shark pectoral fin can sell for up to US$15,000" (Finning FAQs).

In this blog we will team up together to spread the word about the horrors of shark finning and to further the fight to end shark finning. There is no justification for the killing of sharks in order to obtain their fins and then to leave them to die out at sea. This trade needs to be stopped before it is too late and we destroy our oceanic eco-systems and deplete our shark populations to the point of extinction.