Shark Finning Mulan McKenzie

ABSTRACT

CON SEQUEN CES

THE SHARK FIN TRADETHE HISTORY OF SHARK FIN SOUP

EFFORTS TO PREVEN T SHARK FIN N IN GWORKS CITED

Shark fins have been a part of Chinese culture for decades. The implications of masculinity and status have kept

the signature soup alive to this day. The shark fin trade has increased the availability for this dish as well as its

popularity, but it comes at a price. Despite the potentially expensive price of the dish, countless shark

populations gather toward possible extinction. Decreases in shark populations cause more shark species to be

caught for the trade, furthering the downward spiral. Sharks are a keystone species to many ecosystems, thus

the decline of shark populations can easily throw marine ecosystems out of sorts. Local economies like fisheries

and dive tourism are greatly affected by the decline in shark populations. Many laws and regulations have tried to

lessen the consequences of the trade, but loopholes and lax enforcement have only allowed for the industry to

thrive and prosper.

Fairclough, Caty. ?Smithsonian Ocean.? Ocean Portal | Smithsonian, Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural

History, 14 May

2018, ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/sharks-rays/shark-finning-sharks-turned-prey.

Frerck, Robert. ?Ban the Trade in Shark Fins.? Blue Ocean Network, Blue Ocean Network, 14 June 2017,

blueocean.net/ban-trade-shark-fins/.

Hincks, Joseph. ?Peace Boat Passengers Consider the Cost of Shark Fin Soup.? National Geographic Society,

National Geographic

Society, 7 Mar. 2015,

blog.nationalgeographic.org/2015/03/07/peace-boat-passengers-consider-the-cost-of-shark-fin-soup/ .

?History of Shark Fin Soup.? Shark Truth, Shark Truth, www.sharktruth.com/learn/history-of-shark-fin-soup/.

House Oversight & Government Reform Subcommittee Issues Testimony From Oceana. (2017, Nov 02). Targeted

News Service,

search-proquest-com.libraryaccess.sdmiramar.edu/docview/1959711188?accountid=38871.

?The Impact of the Shark Fin Trade.? Shark Savers: Sharks' Role in the Ocean, WildAid,

www.sharksavers.org/en/education/sharks-are-in-trouble/the-impact-of-the-shark-fin-trade/ .

?The Importance of Sharks.? Oceana EU, Oceana EU, eu.oceana.org/en/importance-sharks.

Seret, Bernard, et al. ?Fin to carcass weight ratios for the silky shark Carcharhinus falciformis in the western

Indian Ocean.?

Research Gate, Research Gate, 2 Sept 2012,

www.researchgate.net/publication/261472457_Fin_to_carcass_weight_ratio_for_the_silky_shark_Carcharhinus_

falciformis_in_the_western_Indian_Ocean.

?Shark Conservation.? Blue Wilderness, Adventure Tours,

bluewilderness.co.za/shark-conservation/#1478550498557-b3f9e3cf-a555.

?Shark Fin Alternatives.? Shark Truth, Shark Truth, www.sharktruth.com/initiative/shark-fin-alternatives/.

Originating in China around the time of the Ming Dynasty, shark fin soup was a rare cuisine often reserved for the

emperors (Hincks). As sharks were seen as a mighty predator, the victory of man in catching and finning the

shark was the epitome of yang, the white part of the yin and yang symbol which resembles masculinity. This,

along with the idea that the dish held medicinal benefits, furthered the status and honor for emperors and their

guests to participate in eating this dish (Fairclough). Although the consumption of this dish is extremely

dangerous today, the culture and appeal of this dish have spread from emperors to weddings and from China to

many neighboring countries. For the soup, the fins are dried, sometimes salted, and served in a broth flavored by

other meat. As bowls can sell between $5 to $2,000, and fins can sell easily upwards of $100 per pound, it is no

wonder why the shark fin trade is still booming (History of Shark Fin Soup).

Im it at ion

shark f in

soup

served at

a wedding

accom panied

by an info

card

prom ot ing

shark

conservat ion

(Shark Fin

Alt ernat ives)

About 100 million sharks are killed globally each year, mainly due to the fin trade and the slow growth and

reproductive rates of sharks (Fairclough). Today, shark fisheries have seen a decrease in 60-70% in shark

populations, which can be seen in the endangered scalloped hammerhead and the vulnerable smooth

hammerhead that have had 1.3-2.7 million of their species killed every year in the trade. Sharks are extremely

crucial to their ecosystems. They mitigate the population of their prey by picking off the weak and sick and keep

the balance with competitors to maintain species diversity (The Importance of Sharks). When shark populations

decrease, the larger predatory fish and mammals increase in abundance and feed on herbivores, which causes

macroalgae to out-compete coral populations and affects the survival of the reef system (The Importance of

Sharks). A study off of the east coast of the U.S. saw that when 11 shark species disappeared from their range,

the cow nose ray population could freely feast on the scallops, which not only greatly decreased the water quality

but also hurt the local scallop fishery (Shark Conservation). Sharks are also important to economies. In the

Bahamas, a single reef shark can generate about $250,000 in its lifetime from dive tourism, whereas in Belize,

one whale shark can be worth $2 million through a lifetime of dive tourism (The Importance of Sharks). In Florida

2016, $221 million in revenue was generated from dive tourism and over 3,700 jobs were supported through this

(House Oversight). Despite the amount of money circulated in the shark fin trade, the consumption of sharks

raises the levels of methyl mercury ingested by people to dangerous amounts that increase the risk of

neurological disorders, autism, infertility, Coronary heart disease, and even death (Shark Conservation).

The shark fin trade is a huge market that affects many countries around the world. Since the fins are the most valuable

part, it is easier for boats to hold only the severed fins and to discard the rest of the shark. Obviously, the process of

shark finning is horrendous, as the sharks have to live through torture. Sharks taken out of the water have to feel the

pressure changes of coming up from various depths. Being taken out of the water also takes away the help of the

water supporting their weight, thus their cartilaginous skeletons can hardly support their own weight and cause

organs to rupture. Lastly, the lack of water means the sharks cannot breathe and may cause stress and suffocation. On

board the boats, sharks have their primary and secondary fin sets severed while they are mostly still alive. Then when

the shark body is tossed overboard, the sharks sink to the bottom, where they die of suffocation, starvation, or

predation as they cannot move. Steps like the 2000 Shark Finning Prohibition Act tried to stop the process of dumping

the rest of the shark by imposing a ratio between shark fins to shark carcasses of no more than 5 percent (House

Oversight). However, studies have found that this is too vague, as in a study of silky sharks from the western Indian

Ocean, the ratio of the primary fin set when dried to the total body weight was only 0.55%, and the ratio of all the fins

when wet to the total eviscerated body weight was 6.51% (Seret). The ambiguity of the 5 percent ratio and other shark

fin laws allow the industry to continue growing. Between 2000 and 2011, the United

States was reported to import 580,000 pounds of shark fins (Frerck). According to the

National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. had imported $687,538 and exported

$849,725 worth in shark fins in 2016 alone (House Oversight). Ambiguity also affected

what the U.S. reported with the Food and Agriculture Organization?s import and export

numbers. Canada, China, Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan

Province of China reported importing from the U.S. an average of 71 percent higher

volume and 186 percent higher value of shark fins than what the U.S. had reported it

was exporting (House Oversight). On the other hand, China, Hong Kong SAR, India,

Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan Province of China, and Thailand reported

exporting more than seven times higher by volume and three times higher by value

than what the U.S. reported it had imported (House Oversight). A cause for this was

that the U.S. had only recorded trades under one commodity code - ?shark fins dried

whether or not salted not smoked? despite the fact that fins can be shipped raw,

frozen, or prepackaged (House Oversight). The countless loopholes in shark fin laws

only further the trade to cause harm.

Global diagram

labeling t he

percent of decline

in populat ion for

14 species of

sharks m ost

prevalent in t he

shark f in t rade

(The Im pact of t he

Shark Fin Trade).

Diagram of t he f in set s t hat are harvest ed (Seret )

Count less

severed shark

f ins set on a

roof t op t o dry

under t he sun

(Frerck)

There have been many attempts to lessen the shark fin industry. Since 1994, 22 countries have placed domestic

regulations on shark finning (Fairclough). China began prohibiting the serving of shark fin soup at official

banquets in 2012, but a survey that year showed that only 6 percent of luxury hotels in major Chinese cities

stopped to serve the dish (Fairclough). Many major airlines also decreed the prohibition of carrying shark fins, yet

many cases still showed shark fins being imported through air travel. The 2010 Shark Conservation Act calls for all

sharks caught in U.S. waters to be brought to shore with their fins still attached, yet 85 cases reported severed

shark fins, and only 26 of those cases were furthered with charges (Fairclough). In some encouragement, the

World Wildlife Fund reported that Hong Kong brought in 35 percent less shark fin between 2012 and 2013, and

they also reported that re-exports of shark fin to Mainland China were down by 90 percent (Hincks). For the

delicacy, there are many recipes that use imitation shark fin instead of the real thing that can be used at

weddings to not only decrease the amount of shark fin consumed but to also spread awareness for the ongoing

issue.

A rest aurant in Japan adver t ises shark

f in soup in it s w indows (Hincks)