Shark Finning is Inhumane
Henessey Gonzalez
October 24, 2013
Shark Finning is Inhumane Every year millions of sharks die a slow and immoral death from fishermen stripping them of their fins. These fish are taken out of the ocean and then stripped of their fins where their carcasses are then thrown back into the sea to either starve to death, be eaten by other predators, or drown because of the lack of constant movement their gills cannot extract oxygen from the water which is not only cruel but unorthodox. With that said shark finning should be banned from not only the United States seas but a worldwide ban on all fishing of shark fins, trade, and selling. There is a well-known understanding that shark fins help create an Asian delicacy fancied by the Chinese at special occasions such as weddings, but at what cost? Shark finning is pushing many shark species to extinction, damaging our sea’s ecosystem, and is immensely wasteful. The shark fin is used as a main ingredient in a shark fin soup, which is a Chinese delicacy. The actual shark fin is tasteless, which is why the fin is boiled in a chicken broth to absorb taste. The shark fin soup used to be only consumed by the rich. However, now that the Chinese economy is strong and more people come to wealth, the demand for shark fins has increased. At the same time the shark population has dramatically decreased due to shark finning. The only way to save sharks from extinction and protect the future health of our seas is to support initiatives that drive governmental policy change. Sharks reproduce and mature slowly and being the apex predators they are means they have few predators and being a population that is overfished it is becoming harder and harder for them to replenish and in 10 to 20 years with the rate that people are fishing the shark species are bound to be wiped out (Than, 2013). There are already 18 different species of sharks that have been put on the list for endangered by the International Union for the Conservation
October 24, 2013
Shark Finning is Inhumane Every year millions of sharks die a slow and immoral death from fishermen stripping them of their fins. These fish are taken out of the ocean and then stripped of their fins where their carcasses are then thrown back into the sea to either starve to death, be eaten by other predators, or drown because of the lack of constant movement their gills cannot extract oxygen from the water which is not only cruel but unorthodox. With that said shark finning should be banned from not only the United States seas but a worldwide ban on all fishing of shark fins, trade, and selling. There is a well-known understanding that shark fins help create an Asian delicacy fancied by the Chinese at special occasions such as weddings, but at what cost? Shark finning is pushing many shark species to extinction, damaging our sea’s ecosystem, and is immensely wasteful. The shark fin is used as a main ingredient in a shark fin soup, which is a Chinese delicacy. The actual shark fin is tasteless, which is why the fin is boiled in a chicken broth to absorb taste. The shark fin soup used to be only consumed by the rich. However, now that the Chinese economy is strong and more people come to wealth, the demand for shark fins has increased. At the same time the shark population has dramatically decreased due to shark finning. The only way to save sharks from extinction and protect the future health of our seas is to support initiatives that drive governmental policy change. Sharks reproduce and mature slowly and being the apex predators they are means they have few predators and being a population that is overfished it is becoming harder and harder for them to replenish and in 10 to 20 years with the rate that people are fishing the shark species are bound to be wiped out (Than, 2013). There are already 18 different species of sharks that have been put on the list for endangered by the International Union for the Conservation