Shark finning

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NOAA agent counting confiscated shark fins

Shark finning refers to the removal and retention of shark fins and the discarding of the rest of the fish. Shark finning takes place at sea so the fishers only have to transport the more profitable fins.

Shark finning is widespread, and largely unregulated and unmonitored. Shark finning has increased over the past decade largely due to the increasing demand for shark fins for shark fin soup and traditional cures particularly in China and its territories, and as a result of improved fishing technology and market economics.According to WildAid editors Buckley and Hile,"Today the rapidly expanding and largely unregulated shark fin trade represents one of the most serious threats to shark populations worldwide,and shark fins are now among the most expensive seafood products in the world,commonly retailing at US$400 per kg,with the most expensive selling for US$1,000 per kg." [1]

Conservationists estimate that 26 to 73 million sharks are finned yearly.[2] The annual median for the period from 1996 to 2000 was said to be 38 million, which is nearly four times estimates from the United Nations, but considerably lower than those of many conservationists.[3] Shark fins are a billion dollar industry.[4]

Contents

[edit] Process

According to wildlife conservation much of the sharks' fin trade uses fins cut from living sharks, called finning.[5] Because shark meat is worth much less, the now finless and often still-living sharks are thrown back into the sea to make room for more of the valuable fins.[5] In the ocean, the sharks either die from suffocation or are eaten because they are unable to move normally. Shark species that are commonly finned are sandbar, bull, hammerhead, blacktip, porbeagle, mako, thresher, and blue sharks and occasionally white sharks.[6]

[edit] Impact and reporting

Line graph showing the rapidly growing annual shark harvest
Chart showing shark fishing on the rise, from 1950 to 2004

According to Giam Choo Hoo, the longest serving member of The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora Animals Committee, "The perception that it is common practice to kill sharks for only their fins - and to cut them off whilst the sharks are still alive - is wrong.... The vast majority of fins in the market are taken from sharks after their death."[7] However, some researchers dispute this claim after extensive examination of fin sourcing and fisheries data; one study of sharks harvested for their valuable fins estimates that between 26-73 million sharks are killed each year worldwide,[8] which is almost three times higher than official Food and Agriculture Organization estimates.[9]

The crew of the conservation vessel Ocean Warrior witnessed and photographed industrial-scale finning within Costa Rica's Cocos Island National Park protected marine area.[10] The practice is featured in the documentary Sharks: Stewards of the Reef, which contains footage from Western Australia and Central America and also examines shark finning's cultural, financial and ecological impacts. Underwater photographer Richard Merritt also has witnessed finning of living sharks in Indonesia where he saw immobile finless sharks lying on the sea bed still alive below the fishing boat.[11] Finning has been witnessed and filmed within a protected marine area in the Raja Ampat islands of Indonesia.[12]

Photo of triangular fish fin protruding from the water
Dorsal fin of a shark

Animal welfare groups vigorously oppose finning on moral grounds and also because it is one cause for the rapid decline of global shark populations.[5] On the IUCN red list there are 39 species of elasmobranches (sharks and rays) listed as threatened species (Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable).[13][not in citation given] CITES lists three sharks in Appendix II: the basking shark, the great white shark, and the whale shark. Appendix II lists those species that are not in danger of extinction, but which require controls on international trade to maintain their populations.[citation needed] It is estimated that 10–100 million sharks are slaughtered each year for their fins with a median figure of 38 million.[3] The industry is valued at US$1.2 billion; because of the lucrative profits, there are allegations of links to organized crime.[4][14] They also raise questions on the medical harm from the consumption of high levels of toxic mercury reportedly found in shark fins.

According the Food and Agriculture Organization, the preferred shark and shark-like ray species for fins are tiger, mako, sawfish, sandbar, bull, hammerhead, blacktip, porbeagle, blue and thresher sharks."[15] Fins from the critically endangered sawfish (Pristidae) "are highly favored in Asian markets and are some of the most valuable shark fins."[16] Sawfishes are now protected under the highest protection level of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), Appendix I,[17]

Photo of single-masted boat at sea
Shark fin fishing boat off the Galapagos, Ecuador

A third of all fins imported to Hong Kong come from Europe.[18] Spain is by far the largest supplier, providing between 2,000 and 5,000 metric tons a year.[19][20] Norway supplies 39 metric tonnes, but Britain, France, Portugal and Italy are also major suppliers.[21] Hong Kong handles at least 50% and possibly up to 80% of the world trade in shark fin, with the major suppliers being Europe, Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, United States, Yemen, India, Japan, and Mexico.[22]

Numbers of some shark species have dropped as much as 80% over the last 50 years.[23] Some organizations claim that shark fishing or bycatch (the unintentional capture of species by other fisheries) is the reason for the decline in some species' populations and that the market for fins has very little impact – bycatch accounts for an estimated 50% of all sharks taken[5] – others that the market for shark fin soup is the main reason for the decline.[23] Tommy Cheung, the legislator representing Hong Kong's catering sector, said: "I don't believe sharks are an endangered species. Some species of shark may be, but not all shark's fin comes from certain species. There are a lot of species that are plentiful."[24] There is no reliable count for the numbers taken in the shark fin trade and thus it is hard to prove the claims on either side of the argument.[5]

According to Giam's article,[7] "Sharks are caught in virtually all parts of the world.... Despite the strongly declared objectives of the Fisheries Commission in Brussels, there are very few restrictions on fishing for sharks in European waters. The meat of dogfishes, smoothhounds, cat sharks, skates and rays is in high demand by European consumers.... The situation in Canada and the United States is similar: the blue shark is sought after as a sport fish while the porbeagle, mako and spiny dogfish are part of the commercial fishery.... The truth is this: Sharks will continue to be caught and killed on a wide scale by the more organized and sophisticated fishing nations. Targeting shark's fin soup will not stop this accidental catch. The fins from these catches will be thrown away or turned into animal feed and fertilizers if shark's fin soup is shunned."

In March 2011, the VOA Special English service of the Voice of America broadcast a 15-minute science program on shark finning.

[edit] National/supranational restrictions

Many countries now prohibit finning; however, international waters are unregulated. International fishing authorities are considering banning shark fishing (and finning) in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Finning is banned in the Eastern Pacific,[25] but shark fishing and finning continues unabated in most of the Pacific and Indian Ocean.[5] In countries such as Thailand and Singapore, public awareness advertisements on finning have reportedly reduced consumption by 25%.[citation needed] In 2007, Canadian filmmaker and biologist Rob Stewart created a film, Sharkwater, which exposes the shark fin industry in detail.

[edit] Europe

In November, 2011 the European Commission approved a rule that would require all European Union-registered fishing boats to land only sharks that retained all their fins. Europe already had a finning ban in place, but because it allowed fins to be removed on the boat and different body parts to be landed at different ports, the ban proved difficult to enforce. To take effect, the new requirement must be approved by the European Council and the European Parliament. [26]

[edit] Canada

Shark's fins and soups with them are banned or bans being phased in a few of cities in Southern Ontario through the passage of new bylaws:

The ban is only significant in Toronto and Mississauga, where Chinese restaurants serve shark's fin can be found.

So far Markham and Richmond Hill have opted not to bring forth the motion and suggest this issue is a federal matter. Chinese restaurants and businesses selling shark's fin oppose the ban and suggest they will challenge the by-laws before the courts once fines are imposed.[31]

[edit] China

Photo of dried, off-white, triangular shark fin in display case
A dried shark fin on display with dried sea cucumbers and abalone.

NBA All-Star Yao Ming pledged to stop eating shark fin soup at a news conference on August 2, 2006. Yao's comments were largely unreported in the Chinese media and drew a reproach from Chinese seafood industry associations. Ironically, shark fin soup was on Yao Ming's wedding dinner menu.[32][33] U.S. basketball player Tracy McGrady, a team mate of Yao's, reportedly said that he was impressed by the soup when he tried it for the first time, but was criticized by the Hong Kong branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature for his remark.[34] Late Australian naturalist Steve Irwin was known to walk out of Chinese restaurants if he saw shark fin soup on the menu.[35] The Chinese-American chef Ken Hom sees the West doing little to protect stocks of cod and caviar-producing sturgeon despite the outcry over shark-finning, but he also stresses the wastefulness of harvesting only the fins.[36]

[edit] Hong Kong

Hong Kong Disneyland dropped shark fin soup from its wedding banquet menu after international pressure from environmental groups, who threatened to boycott its parks worldwide despite the high demand for the delicacy in China.[37] The University of Hong Kong has banned shark fin soup on campus.[38] The Peninsula Hotel, a legendary Hong Kong landmark, banned shark fin effective January 1, 2012 [1]

[edit] Taiwan

Taiwan banned shark finning in 2011. [39]

[edit] Malaysia

On September 15, 2007, Malaysia's Natural Resources and Environment Ministry Azmi Khalid banned shark's fin soup from official functions committing to the Malaysian Nature Society (for conservation of shark species).[40]

[edit] New Zealand

The great white sharks have been given full protection in the territorial waters of New Zealand[41] but shark finning is legal on other shark species if the shark is dead. The Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand are campaigning to raise awareness of shark finning[42] and a number of foodies have fronted the campaign.[43]

[edit] Palau

In 2009, the Republic of Palau created the world's first shark sanctuary. It is illegal to catch sharks within Palau's EEZ, which covers an area of 230,000 square miles (600,000 km2). This is an area about the size of France. President Johnson Toribiong also called for a ban on global shark finning, stating: "These creatures are being slaughtered and are perhaps at the brink of extinction unless we take positive action to protect them."[44]

[edit] Singapore

Leading Singapore-based supermarket chain Cold Storage (supermarket), has joined the World Wide Fund for Nature Singapore Sustainable_seafood Group and agreed to stop selling all shark fin and shark products in its 42 outlets across the country. The supermarket is a subsidiary of Dairy_Farm​, a leading pan-Asian food retailer that operates more than 5,300 outlets and employs some 80,000 people in the Asia-Pacific region. It is the first supermarket in Singapore to implement a “no shark fins policy”.[45]

[edit] United States

Bill Clinton banned finning in the United States and with U.S.-registered vessels, but not foreign-registered vessels. Shark fins cannot be imported into the U.S. without the associated carcass. In 1991, the percentage of sharks killed by U.S. longline fisheries in the Pacific Ocean for finning was approximately 3%. By 1998, that percentage had grown to 60%. Between 1991 and 1998, the number of sharks retained by the Hawaii-based swordfish and tuna longline fishery had increased from 2,289 to 60,857 annually, and by 1998, an estimated 98% of these sharks were killed for their fins.[citation needed] In January 2011, President Barack Obama signed the Shark Conservation Act into law to close the loopholes of the 2000 Shark Finning Prohibition Act. Specifically, the new law prohibits any boat to carry shark fins without the corresponding number and weight of carcasses, and all sharks must be brought to port with their fins attached.[46][47]

In 2010, Hawaii became the first state to ban the possession, sale and distribution of shark fins. The law became effective on July 1, 2011.[48] Similar laws have been enacted in the states of Washington,[49] Oregon[50][51], California,[52] Guam[53] and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.[54] California governor Jerry Brown cited the cruelty of finning and potential threats to the environment and commercial fishing in signing the bill.[52] Opponents charged the ban was discriminatory against Chinese, the main consumers of shark fin soup, when federal laws already banned the practice of finning. Whole sharks would still be legally fished, but the fins could no longer be sold.[52]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Buckley, Louis (2007). The End of the Line. WildAid. pp. 21. http://wildaid.org/sites/default/files/resources/EndOfTheLine2007US.pdf. 
  2. ^ Oceana.org - Shark Finning: "Estimates suggest that between 26 and 73 million sharks are finned each year..."
  3. ^ a b Nicholas Bakalar (2006-10-12). "38 Million Sharks Killed for Fins Annually, Experts Estimate". National Geographic. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/10/061012-shark-fin.html. Retrieved 8 January 2007. 
  4. ^ a b Geoffrey York (2003-08-27). "Shark Soup". The Globe and Mail. http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/FISH/sharks/innews/sharksoup2003.htm. Retrieved 8 January 2007. 
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Sharks". WildAid. Archived from the original on May 21, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20060521181303/http://www.wildaid.org/index.asp?CID=3&PID=352&SUBID=&TERID=490. Retrieved 6 January 2007. 
  6. ^ Spiegel, Jessica. "Even Jaws Deserves to Keep His Fins". BC education. http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/law/lwsch/journals/bciclr/24_2/07_TXT.htm. Retrieved 12-14-11. 
  7. ^ a b Giam Choo Hoo (2006-12-01). "Shark's fin soup – eat without guilt". The Straits Times. http://www.iwmc.org/PDF/StraitsTPress.pdf. Retrieved 6 January 2007. 
  8. ^ Clarke, Shelley C.; Murdoch K. McAllister, E. J. Milner-Gulland, G. P. Kirkwood, Catherine G. J. Michielsens, David J. Agnew, Ellen K. Pikitch, Hideki Nakano, Mahmood S. Shivji (2006). "Global estimates of shark catches using trade records from commercial markets". Ecology Letters 9 (10): 1115–1126. doi:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2006.00968.x. ISSN 1461-023X. "Estimates of the total number of sharks traded annually worldwide, based on all fin positions combined, ranged from 26 to 73 million" 
  9. ^ Clarke, Shelley C.; Murdoch K. McAllister, E. J. Milner-Gulland, G. P. Kirkwood, Catherine G. J. Michielsens, David J. Agnew, Ellen K. Pikitch, Hideki Nakano, Mahmood S. Shivji (2006). "Global estimates of shark catches using trade records from commercial markets". Ecology Letters 9 (10): 1115–1126. doi:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2006.00968.x. ISSN 1461-023X. "Our median biomass estimate for the global shark fin trade based on all fin positions combined [...] is [...] nearly three times higher than the high FAO estimate" 
  10. ^ "Disaster off the coast of the Cocos Islands". Shark Info. http://www.shark-info.ch/News/newsres.html?lang=e&keyword=Fins&num=161. Retrieved 5 December 2007. 
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  15. ^ Vannuccini, S. 1999/ Shark utilization, marketing and trade. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper. No. 389. Rome, FAO. http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/005/X3690E/x3690e0p.htm, retrieved March 17, 2009.
  16. ^ Recovery Plan for Smalltooth Sawfish (Pristis pectinata). National Marine Fisheries Service. 2009, Retrieved March 18, 2009.
  17. ^ Richard Black. 2007. "Sawfish protection acquires teeth." BBC News, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6740609.stm Retrieved March 19, 2009.
  18. ^ "Shark fisheries and trade in Europe". Shark Alliance. http://www.sharkalliance.org/content.asp?did=23514. Retrieved 6 January 2007. 
  19. ^ "EU faces shark fin ban call". BBC. 2001-06-25. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1406939.stm. Retrieved 8 January 2007. 
  20. ^ Ian Sample (2006-08-31). "Sharks pay high price as demand for fins soars". London: The Guardian. http://environment.guardian.co.uk/conservation/story/0,,1862110,00.html. Retrieved 8 January 2007. 
  21. ^ Steve Connor (2006-08-31). "Growth in shark fin trade could lead to species extinction". London: The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/growth-in-shark-fin-trade-could-lead-to-species-extinction-414086.html. Retrieved 31 January 2011. 
  22. ^ Sarah Fowler and Dr John A Musick (2006-06-02). "Shark Specialist Group Finning Statement". IUCN Shark Specialist Group. http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/organizations/ssg/ssgfinstatementfinal2june.pdf. Retrieved 8 January 2007. 
  23. ^ a b Laura Marquez (2006-10-30). "Rising Demand For Fins Contributes To Decline In Shark Population, Critics Charge". ABC News. http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/InNews/critics2006.html. Retrieved 8 January 2007. 
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  26. ^ Associated Press, http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1765591+(November 22, 2011). "European Commission proposes ban on shark finning, affect Spain and Portugal's vessels". Associated Press. 
  27. ^ Posted: Oct 25, 2011 10:42 AM ET (2011-10-25). "Toronto bans shark fin - Toronto - CBC News". Cbc.ca. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2011/10/25/shark-fin-ban-vote.html. Retrieved 2011-11-01. 
  28. ^ Lem, Sharon (2011-07-05). "Shark fins banned in Oakville | Toronto & GTA | News". Toronto Sun. http://www.torontosun.com/2011/07/05/shark-fins-banned-in-oakville. Retrieved 2011-11-01. 
  29. ^ "City moving on shark fin ban". Mississauga Article. 2011-10-06. http://www.mississauga.com/news/article/1220601--city-moving-on-shark-fin-ban. Retrieved 2011-11-01. 
  30. ^ wency leung. "Brantford first city in Canada to ban shark fin". The Globe and Mail. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/trends/trends-features/brantford-first-city-in-canada-to-ban-shark-fin/article2025124/. Retrieved 2011-11-01. 
  31. ^ "Richmond Hill avoids shark fin debate". YorkRegion Article. 2011-10-25. http://www.yorkregion.com/news/article/1231469--richmond-hill-avoids-shark-fin-debate. Retrieved 2011-11-01. 
  32. ^ "Media silent on shark fin soup affair". TheStandard. 2006-09-01. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=9&art_id=26301&sid=9676185&con_type=3&d_str=20060901. Retrieved 8 January 2007. 
  33. ^ David Barboza (2006-08-13). "Waiter, There’s a Celebrity in My Shark FinSoup". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/13/weekinreview/13barboza.html. Retrieved 8January 2006. 
  34. ^ "Basketball star berated for shark fin dinner". Bangkok Post. http://www.bangkokpost.net/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=112686. Retrieved 8 January 2007. 
  35. ^ Mike Dolan (2006-09-04). "Death of the crocodile hunter". The First Post. http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/index.php?menuID=2&subID=883&p=2. Retrieved 8 January 2007. 
  36. ^ Ken Hom (2005-06-09). "A shark's tale". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1516720,00.html. Retrieved 8 January 2006. 
  37. ^ Chester Yung and Teddy Ng (2005-06-25). "Disney ditches shark's fin". The Standard. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/stdn/std/Metro/GF25Ak01.html. Retrieved 8 January 2007. 
  38. ^ Doug Crets and Mimi Lau (2005-11-03). "HKU bans shark fin dishes". The Standard. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=4810&sid=5300167&con_type=1. Retrieved 8 January 2007. 
  39. ^ "Taiwan to Establish Shark Finning Ban". PR Newswire. October 21, 2011. http://news.yahoo.com/taiwan-establish-shark-finning-ban-193610255.html. Retrieved 2 December 2011. 
  40. ^ "ChannelNewsAsia.com, Malaysian ministry bans shark's fin soup". Channelnewsasia.com. 2007-09-15. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/299995/1/.html. Retrieved 2011-11-01. 
  41. ^ Anderton, Jim (2007-04-01). "Full protection for great white sharks starts today". New Zealand Government. http://beehive.govt.nz/release/full+protection+great+white+sharks+starts+today. Retrieved 2008-08-27. 
  42. ^ "Save Our Sharks". Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand. http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/Marine/SharksPage.asp. Retrieved 2008-08-27. [dead link]
  43. ^ "Foodies sign pledge against shark fin soup". NZPA. 2008-08-27. http://www.stuff.co.nz/4669469a19716.html. Retrieved 2008-08-27. 
  44. ^ "Palau pioneers 'shark sanctuary'" BBC News, 25 September 2009.
  45. ^ "Leading Singaporean supermarket chain says “no” to shark fin" WWF, 30 September 2011
  46. ^ Mahr, Krista (Tuesday, December 21, 2010). "A Happier Year in Store for America's Sharks?". Time. http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2010/12/21/a-happier-year-in-store-for-america%E2%80%99s-sharks/. Retrieved Jan 5, 2011. 
  47. ^ Restuccia, Andrew (Wednesday, January 05, 2011). "Obama signs two energy/environment bills into law". The Hill. http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/136039-obama-signs-two-energyenvironment-bills-into-law. Retrieved Jan 5, 2011. 
  48. ^ "Hawaii: Shark Fin Soup Is Off the Menu". The New York Times. Associated Press: p. A16. 2010-05-29. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/29/us/29brfs-SHARKFINSOUP_BRF.html. Retrieved 2011-06-20. "Gov. Linda Lingle signed a bill on Friday prohibiting the possession, sale, trade or distribution of shark fins, which are used in expensive Chinese dishes." 
  49. ^ "Washington bans sale, trade of shark fins". Seattletimes.nwsource.com. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015040424_apwaxgrsharkfinban.html. Retrieved 2011-11-01. 
  50. ^ Oregon House of Representatives bills of 2011 Oregon's shark fin bill was HB 2838 by Representative Brad Witt. Passed Senate unanimously, passed House 58 to 1. Signed into law by Governor John Kitzhaber on 2011-06-16.
  51. ^ "Bills Signed by Oregon Governor Kitzhaber". Data.oregon.gov. https://data.oregon.gov/dataset/Bills-Signed-by-Governor-Kitzhaber/4aug-3v37/374. Retrieved 2011-11-01. 
  52. ^ a b c Harmon, Steven (October 8, 2011). "Gov. Jerry Brown signs bill banning shark fins in California". San Jose Mercury News. Archived from the original on December 9, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/63o5QtaCv. Retrieved October 10, 2011. 
  53. ^ "Guam Moves to Protect Sharks - Governor Calvo Signs Shark Fin Ban Into Law in Guam". Thomson Reuters. 2011-03-09. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/10/idUS23020+10-Mar-2011+PRN20110310. Retrieved 2011-06-23. "... Guam has now become the third place in the Pacific that has taken a definite stand against shark finning, the trade of fins and shark fin soup." 
  54. ^ "Shark Fin Possession Bill Made Law Today in Guam". Guammicronesiadivetravel.com. http://www.guammicronesiadivetravel.com/travelblog1/?p=1155. Retrieved 2011-11-01. 

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