Sharks.

Apex predators of the ocean.

These creatures, feared by fish and man, are not invincible. In fact, they face a very real threat. This threat has outsmarted them, and can cut their population size in half. The biggest threat to sharks, is humans. 

Over the years, shark population sizes have been shrinking due to fishers hunting them. One of the reasons fishers hunt for sharks is for their fins. This is referred to as “shark finning,” and it’s had disastrous affects on shark populations. Sharkstweards.org says, “Shark finning kills an estimated 100 million or more sharks globally per year.”

What is shark finning? GreenTumble.com says, “If you haven’t heard the term ’shark finning’ before, it refers to the process of capturing sharks, removing their fins, then discarding the body of the shark (usually alive) in the ocean […].” A shark that has been finned will not survive, because sharks depend on their fins to survive. Without their fins, sharks will either suffocate, bleed out, starve, or other sharks will eat them. 

There are numerous reasons why shark finning occurs. For one, there’s a monetary value on shark finning Caty Fairclough wrote an article for Ocean.si.edu about shark finning. In her article, she says “[…] 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).”

 There is also a cultural value to shark fins. In Asia, shark fin soup is a delicacy to eat.  

Although any shark can get finnied, there are species of sharks that are more sought after than other’s. One of these species is the blue shark. it’s fins are sought after for an aesthetic appeal. Sharkstewards.org also mentions “The Blue shark is among the most common traded with an estimated 20 million killed for their fins annually.” The great hammerhead shark and the Scallopped hammerhead shark get targeted for their large fins. Larger shark species, like the whale shark and basking shark, are also sought after for the size of their fins. 

Sharks play a vital role in keeping the ocean healthy. As previously stated, they are apex predators. This means that they keep the population sizes of their prey balanced. Sharks help keep the food web healthy by hunting sick and weak fish. Sharks also maintain coral reefs and seagrass. If sharks go extinct, it can cause other marine populations to decrease, and eventually go extinct along with the sharks. 

To stop this from happening, there are laws and bans put in place in the US to put an end to shark finning. Humanesociety.org says, “Hawaii became the first state to ban the possession, sale & distribution of shark fins.” On top of this, campaigns have been spread to discourage fishers from hunting sharks, as well as providng alternatives for fishermen instead of shark finning.

Other areas of the US have placed bans on shark finning as well. According to fisheries.noaa.gov, the Shark Conservation Act, signed in 2010, requires that in all states, all sharks have to be brought to the shore with their fins still in tact and attached to their body. Areas of the US such as California, New York, Oregon, Washington, and others, have put bans on the buying and selling of shark fins.