Shark Finning: Fish are Friends NOT FOOD!

(Source 1)

Drowning... Cold. Dark. Painful. Bloody.

Imagine it. You're swimming along minding your business when someone scoops you up in a net and suddenly you can't breathe. You are gasping for breath and your vision is blurry when you feel pain. Excruciating pain. Are you suffocating? No, the pain is lower. Suddenly you realize. Your fins... are gone. You're struggling to breathe and in horrific pain when you are thrown... flying through the air you feel the cold shock of splashing back into the ocean. But you still cant breathe because you can't move.

No fins = No swimming.

No Swimming = No water flowing through your gills for oxygen.

No Oxygen = Suffocating.

The world is darkening, and not because you're sinking further from the surface. You're dying. Slowly... Painfully. But you aren't alone. You see a shadow approaching. Another Shark. Your blood has attracted an unwelcome guest to witness your death. You realize you're going to get eaten alive while you slowly sink to your death.

What will kill you first?... Suffocation, blood loss, or the attack?

This sounds like a horrible way to go right?

This is the horrifying reality for over 100 million sharks each year. This number does NOT include un-reported and illegal fishing. Which means that number unfortunately gets higher. (Source 5)

WHY DO PEOPLE FIN SHARKS?

Shark finning is done for many different reasons. None of them good. "Shark fins are tempting targets for fishermen because they have high monetary and cultural value. They are used in a popular dish called shark fin soup, which is a symbol of status in Chinese culture. In the past, Chinese Emperors favored the soup as a dish that honored guests because it was thought to have medicinal benefits and represented a victory against powerful sharks. This popularity has not faded with time and has even expanded with China's growing population. Today shark fin soup is still prevalent and has become a staple for more than just emperors on special occasions. As a result, fishermen have a large incentive to gather and sell shark fins." (Source 3)

"Many fishermen prefer to practice shark finning instead of bringing whole sharks to the market because the fins are far more valuable than the rest of the body, sometimes selling for as much as $500 a pound ($1,100 a kilogram). Instead, fishermen choose to keep just the shark fins—only one to five percent of a shark’s weight—and throw the rest of the shark away rather than have the less valuable parts take up space on the boat." (Source 3)

(Source 2)

WHAT IS BEING DONE ABOUT IT?

There have been many things put in place to help stop shark finning. Strict national legislation, international trade bans, and improved monitoring techniques are just a few of the things that have been implemented within the past few decades. As of 2026, the U.S. has instituted a nationwide ban on the sale and possession of shark fins, and dozens of countries have adopted "fins naturally attached" policies to ensure compliance. (Source 5)

Some examples of this are... (Source 4)

• Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act (2022): This U.S. federal law makes it illegal to possess, buy, or sell shark fins or products containing them, effectively removing the U.S. from the global fin trade.

• Shark Conservation Act (2010): This U.S. law requires that all sharks landed in the United States be brought to shore with their fins naturally attached, closing loopholes that allowed for finning at sea.

• State-Level Bans: Prior to the federal law, 14 U.S. states and three territories, including California, Hawaii, and Florida, passed their own prohibitions on the possession, sale, and trade of shark fins.

• International Action: The European Union (2013) and Canada (2019) have implemented strict "fins naturally attached" policies and import/export bans on detached fins.

Hopefully people will stop practicing this cruel act and gain some empathy and respect for the world around us and the animals that live here. Until then, we all have to do our part and speak up about the human induced injustice in the animal kingdom.

Sources:

Source 1: https://wwf.panda.org/es/?199149/Take-the-pledge-and-Save-Our-Sharks

• Finned Hamerhead Shark picture

  
  

Source 2:https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/shark-fin-soup-campaign-illegal

• Shark fins laid out picture

  
  

Source 3: https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/sharks-rays/shark-finning-sharks-turned prey#:~:text=They%20are%20used%20in%20a%20popular%20dish,and%20represented%20a%20victory%20against%20powerful%20sharks.

• Shark fins are tempting targets for fishermen because they have high monetary and cultural value. They are used in a popular dish called shark fin soup, which is a symbol of status in Chinese culture. In the past, Chinese Emperors favored the soup as a dish that honored guests because it was thought to have medicinal benefits and represented a victory against powerful sharks. This popularity has not faded with time and has even expanded with China's growing population. Today shark fin soup is still prevalent and has become a staple for more than just emperors on special occasions. As a result, fishermen have a large incentive to gather and sell shark fins.

• Many fishermen prefer to practice shark finning instead of bringing whole sharks to the market because the fins are far more valuable than the rest of the body, sometimes selling for as much as $500 a pound ($1,100 a kilogram). Instead, fishermen choose to keep just the shark fins—only one to five percent of a shark’s weight—and throw the rest of the shark away rather than have the less valuable parts take up space on the boat.

  
  

Source 4: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/laws-policies/frequently-asked-questions-shark-fin-sales-elimination-act-2023#:~:text=The%20Shark%20Fin%20Sales%20Elimination%20Act%20became%20effective%20on%20December,regulations%20to%20implement%20the%20Act?

• Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act (2022): This U.S. federal law makes it illegal to possess, buy, or sell shark fins or products containing them, effectively removing the U.S. from the global fin trade.

• Shark Conservation Act (2010): This U.S. law requires that all sharks landed in the United States be brought to shore with their fins naturally attached, closing loopholes that allowed for finning at sea.

• State-Level Bans: Prior to the federal law, 14 U.S. states and three territories, including California, Hawaii, and Florida, passed their own prohibitions on the possession, sale, and trade of shark fins.

• International Action: The European Union (2013) and Canada (2019) have implemented strict "fins naturally attached" policies and import/export bans on detached fins.

Source 5: My Own Brain