Shark Fin Soup is considered a delicacy in Asian communities.  It is a tradition that goes back as far as the Han Dynasty, 1,800 years ago. Emperors and royals began engrossing it. It is one of the four “treasures” of Chinese cuisine.  If you served Shark Fin Soup at a wedding you where sombody.  However with the rise of the middle classes in Japan and China the demand for Shark Fin Soups has greatly increased beacause more people can aford it.  Our oceans are now being drained of sharks.  A vital species which holds balance to our oceans.

Facts about Shark Finning

• Shark specialists estimate that 100 million sharks are killed for their fins, annually.
• Longlines, used in shark finning operations, are the most significant cause of losses in shark populations worldwide.
• One pound of dried shark fin can retail for $300 or more. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry.

Consequences.

• Unsustainable fishery. The massive quantity of sharks harvested and lack of selection deplete shark populations faster than their reproductive abilities can replenish populations.
• Threatens the stability of marine ecosystems.

I am not one to change tradition.  Especially one that dates back 1,800 years ago.  HOWEVER, 100 million sharks finned at sea, thrown overboard to sufficate or to be eaten alive is appalling.  Sharks are to important to our marine ecosystem which inevitability affects our ecosystem on land.  We need to protect them!  We need to ban shark finning!  We need to bring harsh penitalies to corporations and fisherman who practice in shark finning.  With that said everyone has a right to thier traditions and ability to make a living but to butcher these sharks alive and then throwing them back into the sea is cruel and abusive.