Sharksarecaught by humansforsharkmeat orsharkfins. Manysharkpopulationsarethreatened by human activities. SharksThreatened byFinning.
Freshly cut dorsalfinfrom a scalloped hammerheadsharkheld by fisherman with knife. Shelley Clarke onsharkfinning.Issharkfinningthe number one conservation issue concerningsharks?In the world fisheries wheresharksaretargeted, thefinsrepresent the most valuable part of the animal. An estimated 100 millionsharksarekilled each year, mostly to supply demand for an expensive Chinese dish calledsharkfinsoup.
Some fisheries allow the catch of wholesharks, like any other fish, while others have outright bannedsharkfishing. Explains whysharksareimportant to marine life andwhatsharkfinningis. It explains how it came tobeand how it’s a problem and why it needs tobestopped.
Sharkfinning, the practice of removingfinsfrom livesharksand discarding their bodies, primarilytargetsspecies whosefinsarevaluedforsharkfinsoup—a delicacy in certain cultures. The most commonlyfinnedspecies include hammerheads, makos, threshers, and bluesharks. What types ofsharksaremost commonlytargetedforsharkfinsoup?Issharkfinninglegal anywhere in the world?Arethere any sustainable alternatives tosharkfinsoup? Sharkfinsin violation of São Toméan fisheries regulations.
Photo by Tara Lambourne/Sea Shepherd. Vematargetedsharksforfins. Dolphin saves surfer fromsharks- mnn.com.
The Papua New Guinea National Fisheries Authority recently apprehended a boat that hadbeentargetingsharkunder its tuna licence. Unfortunately, the casewasthrown out of court on a technicality. Here thesharkshavebeenfinned.
