Sharks have inhabited the planet for over 400 million years. In the last century, humans have posed a bigger threat to sharks than any other animal. In only fifty years, shark populations have been reduced by 90 percent. Sharks have been hunted for their fins, teeth, jaws, skin, and liver oil. Shark finning has become a multi-billion dollar industry in recent years. China is one of the largest consumers of shark fins in the world. Chinese fishing vessels catch about 10,000 to 15,000 tons of shark fins annually. Shark fin soup has been a very popular dish in Chinese culture since the early 1300's. Today, shark fin soup has grown in popularity amongst middle and upper class Chinese people. Most Chinese consumers buy the soup because the emperors and nobles were eating the same soup hundreds of years ago in China. Many shark fin vendors make claims that the shark fins can cure cancer and have magical healing powers, which is completely untrue.
Today only seventeen countries have banned shark finning completely. Some of those countries include Switzerland, Tajikistan, Bolivia, Sudan, Mongolia, and Nepal. Each individual government created a ban; it doesn’t allow any fishing for sharks or shark fin trading on their coastlines. On November 19, 2009, the United States Senate passed a bill that closed a few huge loopholes in previous shark finning laws. The Shark Finning Prohibition Act of 2000 was a law passed by the Senate that was aimed to end shark finning in United State's waters. There were three main loopholes addressed in the Shark Conservation Act of 2009. The bill closed the loopholes that allowed for the transportation of shark fins that weren’t finned on the boat, the transfer of fins to other boats while in the ocean and it also allows the United States to confront nations that haven’t banned shark finning (Sea Shepherd). In Scotland, shark fishing is allowed only when a fisherman is granted a permit by the government. The Scottish government has also created a regulation requiring an observer to be on the boat to observe the catching of sharks. Most fishermen don't have enough money to pay for an observer to board their boat and the observer can report any illegal shark finning back to the government (Arkive). This new regulation has helped reduce the number of sharks fishermen catch because of the extra costs and preparations that are required. Countries that still trade shark fins include the European Union, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Yemen, and Mexico.
There are many solutions to end shark finning in China forever. Educating consumers about what they are eating is a huge step that the Chinese government could take to end the consumption of shark fin soup. "Research conducted in China indicates that when confronted with the truth, consumers will change their impression of the soup” (Shark Savers). Also implementing stricter rules and regulations will drive away a large amount of fishermen who rely on sharks for their fins. “According to the IUCN Shark Specialist group, the easiest way to implement a ban is to require that shark carcasses be landed with fins attached. The possession of fins alone on vessels would thus be illegal” (Sharkwater). There are bans like this in the United Kingdom and Brazil that are regulated by the government. These bans have helped stop a large amount of shark finning from continuing in these countries. Shark fin soup is a luxury item that isn’t essential to furthering our modern world. The only way the problem of shark finning can be combated is through education and action.
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