Why Shark Fin Should Be Banned

849 Words2 Pages

Shark fin soup is a popular dish in the Chinese culture and it is mainly served in special events, it consists of a shark fin and chicken. It is mainly consumed by a wealthy minority. Although many people in the chinese culture seem to enjoy this popular delicacy, the shark population is declining, through the process of shark finning. Shark finning begins with the removal of the shark’s fins, once all of the fins are cut out, anything remaining left from the shark is thrown back into the ocean, and the shark is sometimes still left alive. Shark finning should be banned, because it is inhumane, sharks play a major role in the ecosystem, and it is declining the shark population. Shark fin soup was created by an emperor of the Sung Dynasty, …show more content…

Consisting of Abalone, Sea Cucumber, Shark Fin, and Fish Maw, the Big 4 symbolizes a variety of things in the Chinese culture. Shark fin is also served to show generosity, many who have worked extremely hard serve shark fin to show others how hard they have worked by purchasing an expensive dish. It is becoming such a popular dish that demand for shark fin soup is increasing and it is affecting the shark population. About 100 million of sharks are killed each year and 73 million are used for shark fin soup. Shark fins can sell up to $700 USD per kg in Asia and a single pectoral fin of Whale Shark can sell up to $20,000 USD. According to the International Union of Conservation of Nature, an organization that deals with any plants or animals that are in trouble of extinction, almost ⅓ of all shark species are threatened with extinction and the top 14 shark species are either threatened or are near extinction. Some of the most common sharks in the shark fin trade are the Hammerhead, Silky, Oceanic, Sandbar, …show more content…

In 2007, defenders worked with the Mexican government to get shark finning outlawed and after 5 years shark finning has been banned from Mexican waters. WildAid is raising awareness of shark finning and shark fin soup by working with China in a campaign Say No to Shark Fin by broadcasting it throughout the media. In 2015-2016 WildAid has tried expanding their campaign in SouthEast Asia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and

Open Document