Sharks Are Being Hunted

Shark Fins on Board a Ship

Shark finning has been happening for centuries. It is the process of removing a shark’s fins and discarding its mutilated body back into the ocean, where it will sink to the bottom and die. It is a cruel operation that is still practiced today and threatens more than 73 million sharks annually (Save our Seas 2014). This is due to the astronomical price of shark fins, especially in Asian markets. For example, one pectoral fin of a basking shark can cost up to $50,000 (Shark Truth 2014). These fins are used in a traditional eastern Asian dish, shark fin soup. Shark fin soup is regarded as a delicacy and a symbol of wealth and status in Asia, which is why finning has not halted even though sharks face extinction. Shark finning has become more commercialized since the economic boom in China in the early 2000s; this is due to increased household incomes, allowing more people to buy shark fin soup (Lo 2012). Shark finning is a dangerous practice that, if sustained, will lead to devastating ecological effects. Sharks are apex predators, like bears and wolves on land, and they eat dead and dying fish and other species to maintain a healthy ecosystem (Shark Truth 2014).

Finning diagram

Works Cited:
Lo, B. (2012) Shark fin what’s all the fuss about? Youtube. Youtube. (Date Accessed: February 20, 2014.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLTQORmB9TY

Save Our Seas. (2014). How Many Sharks Are Caught Each Year? Save Our Seas. Save Our Seas Foundation. (Date Accessed: February 19, 2014.) http://saveourseas.com/articles/how_many_sharks_are_caught_each_year

Shark Truth. (2014). Shark Fin Trade. Shark Truth. Shark Truth. (Date Accessed: February 19, 2014.) http://www.sharktruth.com/learn/shark-finning/

Sharks are Friends not Food

Shark fin soup

Shark fin soup is the number one reason sharks are killed. This soup has been a delicacy in Asian countries, particularly China, since the Sung Dynasty (968 AD) (Shark Truth 2014). It is frequently served at weddings, new year’s parties, and other large celebrations (Lo 2012). This ancient tradition causes many Asian communities look down upon people who do not eat shark fin soup. The soup shows a status of wealth and prosperity, and not eating it is disrespectful towards hosts who provide it (Shark Truth 2014). Texture is the only reason shark fins are used in this soup other than their status as one of the “Big Four,” the four most valuable types of seafood in China (Shark Truth 2014). There are three other valuable types of seafood which include abalone, sea cucumber, and fish maw (Shark Truth 2014). In recent years the brutality of shark finning has become more public. Alternatives to shark fin soup have been created, which maintain the same texture and flavor without the fin (Lo 2012).

Map of states in the US that serve shark fin soup

Although the origins of this soup are in China, it has spread to be a worldwide dish. Shark fin soup is served in many places in the United States. Currently, there are 31 states that offer shark fin soup, even some of those that have a ban placed on shark finning and possession of shark fins (AWI 2013). Some restaurants in California and Oregon serve shark fin soup without the license to do so (AWI 2013). This causes a larger problem because many states and countries are ignoring or avoiding regulations set in place to prevent shark finning.

Works Cited:

AWI. (2013). Restaurants Currently Offering Shark Fin. Animal Welfare Institute. Animal Welfare Institute. (Date Accessed: February 19, 2014.) https://awionline.org/content/restaurants-currently-offering-shark-fin-soup#Top

Lo, B. (2012) Shark fin what’s all the fuss about? Youtube. Youtube. (Date Accessed: February 20, 2014.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLTQORmB9TY

Shark Truth. (2014). Shark Fin Trade. Shark Truth. Shark Truth. (Date Accessed: February 19, 2014.) http://www.sharktruth.com/learn/shark-finning/

Sharks: The Apex Predators of the Ocean

Aquatic food chain

Trophic Cascade

An apex predator is a carnivore that, in a specific environment, has few or no predators of its own (What Eats 2014). In the ocean, this is the shark. Sharks can feed on large animals without worrying about being attacked. This allows them to sit comfortably at the top of the food chain and in the center of the food web (What Eats 2014). When sharks are removed because of finning the rest of the ecosystem is thrown off balance, which is known as a trophic cascade. A trophic cascade causes population imbalance in other species in the ecosystem (Carpenter 2014). In this case, a decrease in the apex predators leads to an increase in the next trophic level, usually large mammals or fish, which are typically shark’s prey. The graphic on the right shows that with the removal of sharks, the next trophic level, seals, overpopulate and this destroys the lower trophic level. This pattern continues until the producer’s trophic level is either diminished or thriving. It is difficult to determine which level will vary because the number of trophic levels can vary in different ecosystems. It can be noted in both of the graphics that the ecosystem has a very fragile balance, and that every species from sharks to phytoplankton relies on the other to keep this in check. The removal of the apex predator can reshape the entire environment from top to bottom (Carpenter 2014). If we are not careful the lack of sharks will disrupt the natural order of the ocean.

Works Cited:

Carpenter, S. (2014) Trophic Cascade. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. (Date Accessed: February 20, 2014.) http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1669736/trophic-cascade.

  

What Eats. (2011) Apex Predators. What Eats? What Eats? (Date Accessed: February 20, 2014.) http://www.whateats.com/?s=shark.

Shark Fin Soup: The Healthy Choice?

Doctors and medical experts are people who oppose the shark fin trade for purely health reasons. Health organizations and doctors have often warned against the consumption of shark fin soup. Though many believe that shark fin soup can improve health, fight cancer, and prevent heart disease, new research suggests just the opposite (The Telegraph 2011). Eating shark fin soup can be hazardous to human health, as sharks tend to contain mercury due to excessive pollution in the water (Shark Savers 2014). Specifically, sharks contain high levels of methylmercury, which is classified as a neurotoxin (Shark Savers 2014). In fact, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has warned against the consumption of shark fin soup for small children and women, as the toxin is known to cause infertility (Shark Savers 2014). Also, shark fins contain BMAA, which is another neurotoxin that has been linked to Alzheimers disease and Lou Gehrig disease or ALS (Science Daily 2012).

Before serving shark fin soup, some restaurants treat shark fins with hydrogen peroxide in order to make their color more appealing to consumers (Stop Shark Finning 2013). Though the concentration is normally diluted, hydrogen peroxide can cause nausea and, in some cases, a stroke (Nutrition Facts 2014). The health risks of consuming shark fin soup far outweigh the supposed benefits, and doctors believe that it is in the best interest of patients to avoid consumption of the dish.

Effects of Mercury

Works Cited:

Nutrition Facts. (2014) Can you take hydrogen peroxide internally? Nutrition Facts. Nutrition Facts. (Date Accessed: February 20, 2014.) http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/can-you-take-hydrogen-peroxide-internally/.

Science Daily. (2012) Neurotoxins in shark fins: A human health concern, 

Science Daily. Science Daily. (Date Accessed: February 20, 2014.) http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120223182516.htm.

Shark Savers. (2014) Shark Fin Soup Is Not Healthy. I’m Finished with Fins. SharkSavers, Inc. (Date Accessed: February 20, 2014.) https://www.sharksavers.org/en/our-programs/i-m-finished-with-fins/learn-more/shark-fin-soup-is-unhealthy/.

Stop Shark Finning. (2013). Shark fin soup facts. Stop Shark Finning. Stop Shark Finning. (Date Accessed: February 19, 2014.) http://www.stopsharkfinning.net/shark-fin-soup-facts/

The Telegraph. (2011) Shark fin soup prized as a cure-all. The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited. (Date Accessed: February 20, 2014.) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8746046/Shark-fin-soup-prized-as-a-cure-all.html.