Why Shark Finning Sucks (rundown)
Official definition: the practice of catching sharks, removing their fins (which are commercially valuable) and throwing the rest of the shark back into the sea (often while it is still alive, but doomed to drown because it cannot swim without its fins) ||| Shark fin soup is a traditional dish in China, yearly millions of sharks are killed to be ingredients.
Shark finning is one of, if not, the largest threat to shark populations. Shark fishers will hunt any shark regardless of species, size or age. The removal of sharks inevitably leads ecosystems to collapse or go through trauma. Since sharks are so widespread, the repercussions of shark-less ecosystems affect creatures and humans all around the globe. Not to mention that because sharks take a relatively long time to sexually mature and reproduce, populations cannot realistically survive such intense hunting. The Earth’s oceans & marine ecosystems provide essentials like food, work, protection, resources, etc. to people all over the world. Ecosystems become dysfunctional without the apex predator, so fewer sharks is not simply affecting those who may run a shark-tourist attraction or those who rely on sharks for food. Those affected will be communities who rely on certain fish for protein, countries who rely on eco-tourism for a stable economy, scientists who are studying creatures to find medical treatments. In other words, removing sharks does not simply remove sharks, it jeopardizes/makes vulnerable nearly every other species in that ecosystem. To quote oceana.org, “Healthy oceans undoubtedly depend on sharks.” Ecosystems are delicate and the world simply cannot afford so many different ecosystems, all over the Earth, to go down because sharks are being slaughtered.
Along the East coast of America, shark populations have declined and their prey are affected. Through a domino effect that ripples throughout the food web, some rays, skates and small sharks end up needing to forage for oysters and clams. One of these clams is the Quahog, an essential element to clam chowder, and now a species in decline. Clam chowder is classic American dish, but when the Quahog began to decline thanks in no small part to the decline in sharks, several American restaurants were forced to take the dish off of their menus. This situation demonstrates how the extermination of sharks not only affects people economically or in their business, but also culturally. Now a classic dish is inaccessible. However, this issue is much more pronounced in developing countries that rely on sharks. (It is especially clear in communities that rely on sharks directly, not even more indirectly such as through a suffering ecosystem). Developing countries that hunt sharks are doing it to eat and for traditional purposes, it is small scale and essential. These communities are not responsible for the estimated 100 million sharks killed annually, in fact their sustainable way of life is being damaged by the shark finning industry. An industry that throws away 99% of each fish it catches. Imagine the protein and material those communities could’ve gained from the rest of that animal. So not only is the practice wasteful, it can be argued that it is disrespectful to cultures who properly consume the animal and rely on it for nutrients.