Shark finning has become very popular in the past 15 years. The shark population is declining rapidly because the top predator is no longer in the sea but on land. Humans will slice off the sharks fin and throw the animal back into the water with no disregard for the living being. Shark fins are a large target for fisheries because they have a large price value. Shark finning is part of a multi-billion dollar industry, shark fins can go from $300 a pound or higher.
Shark finning is extremely popular in Asia as they use the shark fin for a cultural dish. A shark fin soup is used as a hierarchy status. It is believed that shark fin soup has medicinal benefits, and was a soup favored by Emperors.
Over 100 million sharks are killed yearly due to the popularity of their fins. What is shark finning you ask? Shark finning is the act of removing fins from sharks while they are still alive, once the fin is removed the shark is thrown back into the ocean to fend for itself. The fisher will remove the sharks' primary and secondary dorsal fins, pectoral fins, pelvic fins, anal fin, and caudal fin or the entire tail. In the end, the shark will float to the bottom of the ocean where they will essentially suffocate or become prey for others.
Sharks that are typically targeted.
- Blacktip
- Blue
- Bull
- Hammerhead
- Porbeagle
- Mako
- Sandbar
- Thresher
- Tiger
- Great white
You can make a change. Go to the link below and help ban the Shark Finning trade in Florida.
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