The fins of sharks are a culinary “delicacy” in some countries, so the trade of shark fins is responsible for the suffering of millions of sharks around the world.
Shark finning involves catching sharks, cutting off their fins, and throwing the mutilated animals still alive back into the water, which is a very cruel practice as most likely the sharks would die a long agonising death afterwards. Unable to swim effectively, they would sink to the bottom of the ocean and die of suffocation (as most sharks can only breathe if they move) or would be eaten by predators. The fins extracted would then be traded around the world as part of a lucrative business (as a shark fin does not use much space, can be easily preserved, and may be considered more valuable per weight than the flesh of many other marine animals), with a retail value of US$400 per kg. It is estimated that fins from as many as 73 million sharks end up in the global market every year.
The trade of shark fins also involves fins that have not been obtained from shark finning but from shark fishing (where sharks are legally captured as any other fish, but when their bodies are processed the fins are removed and traded separately). Nearly every fin of a shark (dorsal, pectoral or caudal) may become part of this lucrative trade.
Shark fins are mainly used in soups, popular in China, Hong Kong, and other places across East Asia. Shark finning has increased since 1997 due to the increasing demand for shark fin soup and traditional medicine in China. The global shark fin trade peaked at around 15,000 tonnes exported in 2002, declined to about 5,000 tonnes in 2013, and has since increased to approximately 11,000 tonnes in recent years. The global value of the shark fin trade ranges from US$540 million to US$1.2 billion.
The world’s four largest importers of shark fins account for 90% of average annual global imports. A study covering the period from 2000 to 2016 found that Hong Kong SAR was the largest importer, followed by Malaysia, mainland China and then Singapore. Regarding the flesh of sharks (not just their fins), the main importers of shark and ray meat were Spain, Uruguay, Brazil and Italy, which accounted for 57% of the average global imports of shark meat.
Another problem that has made the lives of sharks worse is the dreadful fisheries bycatch. This is the incidental capture and death of non-target marine species in fishing gear. It can include untargeted fishes, marine mammals, sea turtles, seabirds, crustaceans, and other marine invertebrates. Bycatch is a serious ethical problem because it harms many sentient beings, but also a conservation problem because it can harm or kill members of endangered and threatened species. Around 50 million sharks are killed as bycatch every year. Around one in every five animals caught on trolling lines are sharks and they are either thrown back or have their fins removed with a knife (for trade for shark fin soup) and then thrown back into the ocean to die a long agonising death.
Sharks Affected by the Fin Trade
The fins of any species of shark may end up trading in the fin trade industry as they are biologically very similar from one to another (they may have different shapes, but are all composed of cartilage and skin, no flesh), but some species have become more important than others in such an unscrupulous trade.
The Blue Shark (Prionace glauca) is the most common species in the fin trade, with an estimated 20 million killed annually for their fins. Silky Shark (Carcharhinus falciformis), a CITES-listed species for being threatened with extinction, is the second most common species in the trade. Scalloped Hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini) and Smooth Hammerhead (S. zygaena) are frequently found in the trade because of their large fins. Shortfin Mako Sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus) are among the top species in the fin trade. Other common species are Blacktip (Carcharhinus limbatus), Bull (Carcharhinus leucas), Oceanic whitetip (Carcharhinus longimanus), Porbeagle (Lamna nasus), Sandbar (Carcharhinus plumbeus), Spinner (Carcharhinus brevipinna, Thresher (family Alopiidae), Tiger (Galeocerdo cuvier), and the Great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias).
A 2022 study found that 61 out of 86 species studied in the Hong Kong market were threatened with extinction. Coastal shark species are of particular concern, with some already considered extinct in certain regions. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has designated Red List status of threatened, endangered or critically endangered to 316 species of sharks. These include Manta Rays, Whale Sharks, Hammerhead Sharks and Oceanic Whitetip Sharks. Because of the trade of shark fins, a study by Dulvy et al. (2021) found that more than one-third of sharks, rays and chimaeras are now threatened with extinction, making them the second-most threatened vertebrate group.
Banning the Shark Fin Trade
On 15th December 2022, the US Congress approved a ban on shark fin trade as part of an annual military defence bill. Before the Senate passed this bill, 14 states and three US territories had already banned the sale and possession of shark fins.
The law specifically states that “Except as provided in para 2 graph (3), no person shall possess, acquire, receive, 3 transport, offer for sale, sell, or purchase a shark fin 4 or a product containing a shark fin.” The exceptions are if the shark fin was separated after the first point of landing in a manner consistent with a licence or permit and is destroyed or disposed of immediately upon separation from the carcass; or used for non-commercial subsistence purposes following Federal, State, or territorial law; or used solely for display or research purposes by a museum, college, or university under a Federal, State, or territorial permit to conduct non-commercial scientific research.
Shark fishing became illegal in Hawaii in 2022, the first US state to protect these important marine animals with a robust ban that goes beyond banning shark finning. It is unlawful to knowingly capture, entangle, or kill a shark in state marine waters. Act 51 (House Bill 553) entered into force on 1st January 2022. Those breaking this law will face a fine of $500 for a first offence, $2,000 for a second offence, and $10,000 for a third offence. Penalties could also include forfeiture of any captured sharks, commercial marine licences, vessels, and fishing equipment.
Canada, which used to be the third-largest importer of shark fins outside of Asia, banned the import and export of shark fins nationwide in 2019. In 2013, the European Union banned the finning at any vessel in EU waters or by any EU-registered vessel worldwide. In 2023, the United Kingdom banned the import/export of detached shark fins, including all products containing shark fins, such as tinned shark fin soup (this ban built upon a 2003 ban achieved via the Shark Finning Regulation and a 2009 Fins Naturally Attached policy applicable in UK waters and by UK vessels worldwide).
Other countries that have a total or partial ban on shark finning or have banned some aspects of the shark trade in its regulations are Mozambique (2021), New Zealand (2014), the British Virgin Islands (2014), China (no shark fin dishes at official government functions since 2013), India (2013), Hong Kong (no shark fin soup at government functions since 2013), Venezuela (2012), Brazil (2012), Taiwan (2012), Chile (2011), Honduras (2010), Guinea (2009), Argentina (2009), Sierra Leone (2008), Colombia (2007), Panama (2006), El Salvador (2009), Seychelles (2006), Costa Rica (2006), Nicaragua (2004), Gambia (2004), Namibia (2003), Spain (2002), United Arab Emirates (1999), New South Wales, Australia (1999), South Africa (1998), and Oman (1998). In many of these countries, though, the trade of shark fins obtained in traditional fishing that did not involve shark finning is still allowed.
A global ban on the trade of any part of any shark obtained with any method is what is needed now since there seems to be an increase in awareness about the plight of sharks, but this would not be sufficient. Because all animals are sentient beings, such a ban would need to be extended to any marine animal as well, vertebrate or otherwise, and eventually any terrestrial animal too. Only in the vegan world of the future, this desirable paradigm will be achieved.
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