Shark Finning 101

What is Shark Finning? ​ Shark finning is the act of removing fins from a living shark, selling the fins for soup, and discarding the still living shark back into the ocean to die slowly. ​ There are many problems with shark finning. ​ First, let’s talk about how shark finning kills sharks. ​Sharks are a type of fish. In order to breath, they have to swim. Sharks have 5-7 gills on each side of their head that allows water to pass through, where it is filtered for oxygen. If they are not swimming, water cannot filter through their gills. So by removing the fins from sharks and throwing them back into the ocean, they have no way to swim, and therefore can’t get oxygen. Often times after the shark has been finned and discarded into the ocean, the underwater currents are strong enough to move enough water across their gills, which causes them to live and suffer for up to a week at times.

Okay, so sharks need fins, but do we really need them in the ocean? The answer is YES! ​ They do many things for the ocean, that without them, the health of our Earth would collapse.

Sharks control fish populations, balance the ecosystem of the ocean, and even help regulate climate change. By keeping the oceans healthy, they are keeping the entire planet healthy. ​ For example, by eating dying, weak, or sick fish, they make fish populations stronger. That applies to all species and populations of animals they consume, including turtles, fish, seals, plankton, and more. By praying off all marine life they balance the populations of the ocean so no single type of animal can take over the sea. ​ So, what if there were no sharks? Let’s break it down. ​ No sharks equal the increase of seal, large fish, and some turtle populations. More of those animals equals less, or the extinction, of jelly fish, medium fish, and mollusks like squid. None of those animals means more small fish, crustaceans like crabs, shrimp, and shellfish. More of those animals means less sea grass, seaweed, algae, coral, plankton, and other microorganisms. All these things destroy the coral reefs. And if coral reefs are damaged, marine life has nowhere to live. The ocean animals and plants eventually cease to exist because they have nothing to eat, nowhere to hide, and not enough resources to live. ​ The Earth is 70% ocean, that means if sea life dies and creates an unstable ocean environment, then 70% of the Earth is dead. What happens to the last 30%? Most likely, it will begin to have issues and start to die itself. An unhealthy ocean will affect the cleanliness and amount of water we have, the land begins to die from an unbalance of nutrition, there could be shortages of jobs in the fishing & tourism industries, a loss of homes for humans (those who live on or close to water), and the unbalance of the Earth’s ecosystem. The ocean keeps the land healthy, it's a balance. So unless we act now to help the ocean, the next 20-30 years are going to be terrible for mankind. There is speculation that by 2048, there will be no fish left in the ocean. That means by 2050, we can expect to see the rapid decay of Earth & life.

That is why we need sharks to balance our ecosystem, keep populations in check, and keep the ocean healthy. ​ And one more thing about why we need sharks… ​

Above its mentioned how without sharks, people could lose their jobs. How can people make money off sharks if we shouldn’t fish for them? ​ Sharks balance out fish populations allowing for fisherman to keep fishing and fish to keep populating. If sharks did not eat turtles and seals, there would be too many predators consuming fish, coupled with fishing would decrease populations to extinction. Sharks help balance that out. They also create lots of money in the touring business. Each year, sharks make an estimated $314 Million worldwide. That’s just from activities like aquariums, scuba diving, snorkeling, boat trips, cage diving, and so much more. The difference is that sharks that are living keep making money every year as opposed to the low, one-time price of $650 for their fins. You can do the math, but it should be clear that sharks make more money alive than dead. ​ Okay, so we need sharks, but how many are left? How have they been affected? ​ It's hard to find a definitive answer of how many sharks are still alive, but its estimated that numbers now only account for 30% of what there used to be. An ocean that was once filled with life and animals is now down to a very small percentage of what we started off with. Did you know Great White Sharks are more endangered than Tigers? With less than 3,500 individuals left in the wild, worldwide, it’s so important than we protect them. Found in an article by LiveScience.com a quote from a man named Andres Cisneros-Montemayor, he said that "Studies have found that if you remove top predators, like sharks, you change the structure of the ecosystem itself," he explained. "This significantly changes the ecosystem, and it puts you in danger of all kinds of bad things happening." This supports that removing sharks, even Tigers, from an ecosystem causes many problems. Humans remove about 100 Million sharks EVERY YEAR. And that’s just the average! That number can be a whopping 273 million every year. BUT! did you know only about 1 person dies each year from shark attacks? For as terrible as Hollywood wants to make these animals out to be, it does not change the hard facts. ​ The other part of this is that sharks take a long time to mature and to reproduce. Most female sharks mature very late in life, meaning that if they are caught during their adolescent years there won’t be any sharks to replace them because they never had the chance to produce more baby sharks. From the same article by LiveScience.com, from the co-author Rashid Sumaila, "Sharks are slow to mature and produce few offspring," He said in a statement. "The protection of live sharks, especially through dedicated protected areas, can benefit a much wider economic spectrum while helping the species recover." So I’m going to put it here again- up to 273 million sharks are killed every year. Every hour, about 11,500 sharks are killed. Why? Because humans want the fins. Okay, so they want the fins, but which ones? What are they for? ​ The fins typically harvested are the Dorsal fin, Caudal din, and Pectoral fin. Other fins on the shark may be used if they are deemed to be big enough. The fins they take off are the ones the shark needs the most, and like mentioned above, sharks will drown because they can’t swim, resulting in the death of the animal. The question is- Why not put the shark out of it’s misery? Why take 5% of the animal and throw the still-living shark back into the ocean to suffer until it dies? ​ As for the use of the fins- They are used to make a bowl of soup. Yes, a bowl of soup. ​ Shark fin soup is a delicacy in most Asian countries as it has been a symbol of having good fortune and is served at various celebrations. The problem is that countries like the US who have tried to protect sharks off our coasts have no say in what people in Asia do for example. And then there are places like Australia that will kill sharks and sell the meat, called Flake. But what people do not realize is that shark is inedible, it is actually very dangerous to eat. Sharks, as well as other large fish like king mackerel and swordfish, contain an alarming amount of mercury in them. This is from eating lots of smaller fish. Though it is not harmful to the sharks, it is harmful for humans. Consuming shark meat means you are consuming a very large amount of mercury at once, as opposed to a smaller amount from eating smaller fish. Consuming mercury in this capacity can lead to coordination loss, blindness, and even death. It is very important that we stop the feasting on sharks, so they can stay in the ocean where they belong, and humans can still live and have their health. So yes, they are utilizing more of the shark, but it's still unhealthy and doesn't justify selling them. ​ The shark fin is used in this soup to give it texture and because shark was seen as a delicacy in earlier times. The fins are rather rough and gummy, which gives the broth-based soup some substance. One bowl can cost an upwards of $100! ​ But what if we could find a replacement for shark fins? After all, it really is only for aesthetic purposes at this point in time. ​ A fix to this could simply be to take the shark out. Substitute it for another kind of fish, create a man-made type shark fin (possibly out of gelatin, for the gummy like texture) or even put in a kind of vegetable or plant that might have the same flavor or texture. In conclusion, ​ We need sharks and sharks need us to be conscious of the decisions we make. Shark finning needs to be stopped and each person’s efforts to support sharks and the ban of finning is one step closer to a healthier planet. ​ Sharks belong in the ocean, not in my soup.