Sharks

When you think of Sharks, you probably think of the scary oceanic killers portrayed in movies such as Jaws that prey on innocent humans. However, Sharks are creatures that have gone from predator to prey, and despite surviving the earth's history of mass extinctions, they could easily be wiped out within a few years due to human greed.

Finning is the process of cutting off the fins of a shark and discarding the body at sea. This wasteful and often cruel practice contradicts all principles of sustainable shark fisheries management and conservation. The major source of demand for shark fins is the market for shark fin soup. In some Far Eastern cultures this is a prestigious commodity, and a traditional means of honoring special guests or occasions. Finning occurs worldwide and is most common in high seas fisheries, hundreds of miles out to sea. Oceanic fishing fleets target valuable fish such as tuna, using thousands of baited hooks on miles of long-line, and freezing their catch onboard.

The life history of sharks is typical of top predators, and completely different to most commercial fish, which mature early and produce vast numbers of tiny eggs. In comparison, most sharks grow slowly, mature late and give birth to only a few offspring. Consequently, shark populations decline rapidly when targeted by fisheries and recover slowly, if at all. Shark populations may continue to decline, potentially until the last individuals have been removed and species become regionally extinct. There are now 110 species of sharks listed in a threat category on the IUCN's Red List, with a further 95 species listed as Near Threatened.

So why should you care about Shark finning? Well, although some sharks are killed before finning, many are still alive when their fins are cut off, and are thrown back into the sea alive to die. Finning is hugely wasteful - wet fins typically represent less than 5% of a shark's body weight and discarded body could provide a valuable protein source, particularly in developing countries. The environmental impact of removing large numbers of sharks from ocean ecosystems is hugely complex and unpredictable. Most sharks are top predators and scientists believe sharks play a key role in marine ecosystems by keeping their prey populations in check. Removing this control is likely to have a damaging effect on marine ecosystems. Over the last 15 years some Atlantic shark populations