shark finning

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Recommended: Introduction to shark finning

Savagely cutting off a human’s arm is totally immoral, and yet fishermen continue to cut off sharks’ fins and leave them for dead. Shark finning is practiced by numerous countries, but only banned by a few. While it is well known that this barbarian and horrifying practice is severely endangering most shark populations there are only a few laws in a few places that regulate the shark fin trade. The reason shark finning continues to go on is due to the high market demand, weak legal constraints, and the ignorance to the fact that there are severe problems associated with it, both to human health and to the marine ecosystem.
Unfortunately, one of the biggest factors to the continuation of shark finning is the high market demand. Because there is such a big demand for these fins and the soup it can make there will always be the demand in the market as long as shark finning is continued. Also, there is a desire to fetch such a large sum of money in a place where, according to a 2013 “Wages in China” report, the average monthly income in China is only 264 Yuan or $42.35 (4d). That information makes it clear that there is a huge incentive to continue to fish because, at an estimated market price of 2,181 Chinese Yuan or $350 (4c) it is no surprise that fishermen continue to fin the sharks. Sadly, the cost of one pound of fin comes at the cost of the other 95% of the shark’s whole body; because once the shark is caught and on the boat it is usually de-finned right on the ship’s deck because it costs too much money to transport it all the way back to China. Then the shark is thrown off the boat while it is still alive, where it instantly sinks to the bottom and dies (4a). It is because of these practices that the shark population is so d...

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...try brings; many fishermen will make it their priority to use the best equipment possible. By limiting what equipment can be used, how many sharks can be caught per year, and what times during the year they can be caught, hopefully shark population numbers will begin to increase. Most sharks’ fins only account for 5% of their actual body, and being that shark fishermen only want that small percentage, the other 95% of the body is thrown back into the ocean. This horrifying statistic really epitomizes this disgusting industry. Obviously a shark without its fins in the ocean will be left stranded away from its family, and death will definitely be inevitable. Overall, shark finning is an extremely devastating practice and there are so many possible solutions to put an end to it, but it’s hard to say if it will ever be completely outlawed, and enforced thoroughly.

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