Sharks
Everyone who knows me a little, knows that I love sharks. And I hope that even if they are not your favorite animal, you will be convinced to help save them. Sharks are so misunderstood as a species and many fear them, regardless of their subspecies. People think that all sharks eat humans, or that at least all sharks will bite us. Many think that shark finning only happens in Asia, or that sharks are only caught on a large scale elsewhere.
Sharks are under threat due to various reasons, such as habitat destruction, climate change and overfishing. In a 2014 Oceana study, researchers estimated that as many as 100 million sharks are caught and killed worldwide due to bycatch, illegal fishing and the demand for shark fins. The shark fin trades extremely cruel and incredibly painful for sharks. The fishermen remove the shark´s fins while it’s fully conscious and, since shark meat is of little value to them, the remaining carcass is thrown back into the ocean where it is unable to move and it will sink and bleed to death or suffocate. Another huge threat to sharks is long line fishing. Finning is an unselective fishing method that does not take into account the species, size or age of the shark. Due to this “space-saving” method on board, significantly more fins can be stored than when the whole shark body is transported. Sometimes sharks are hunted selectively but more often finning is done with the “unwanted by-catch” of tuna and swordfish fishing. This by-catch is also seen to be an unnecessary ballast , together with all the other species which are caught along with the sharks on the countless longlines which float around for miles.
Sharks have been roaming the seas of our world for over 400 million years and their task is to regulate other fish and marine life, resulting in immunity in sharks to a variety of diseases. The mistaken belief that these evolved powers could be transferred to humans through the consumption of shark meat further stimulates the demand for shark products. The popularity of shark fin soup goes back to the Chinese imperial period when shark fin soup was regarded as the “golden dish of the imperial table”. The shark was considered an exotic, hard to catch animal which could only be prepared by the very best chefs. In China shark fin soup was therefore regarded as a traditional status symbol and luxury commodity of the then small upper class. As a result of on-going Chinese industrialisation, however, the wealth of the entire population is increasing. The upper and middle classes are growing. In addition, China is the most populous country in the world with almost 1.4 billion people. As a result, demand for shark fin soup, which is still regarded as a status symbol, is also rising rapidly. Shark fin is seen as a delicacy at Asian weddings, company parties and birthdays and can cost up to several hundred euros per bowl. The fin is cartilage tissue and is completely tasteless, so chicken broth is added to give it taste. Contrary to belief that shark meat is beneficial to humans, shark meat is heavily contaminated with methylmercury. Methylmercury, even in small doses, can be dangerous for humans, which is why consumption is strongly discouraged not only for ecological but also for health reasons.
Shark fins are also used in traditional Asian medicine: shark cartilage is seen as a miracle cure for potency disorders and cancer, which is why shark fins are still in demand in traditional Asian pharmacies. The vast majority of shark fins are destined for a relatively small number of regions in East and Southeast Asia, such as China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam. Hong Kong is the largest market for shark fins. There you can find shark fin soup on the menus of the luxury restaurants with prices between 120€ and 400€ per bowl.
What many people don’t know is that every year millions of sharks are caught in Europe. Spain, for example, is one of the leading manufacturers of unprocessed shark fins and is the number 2 nation in the world when it comes to amounts of sharks caught.
In 2013 the EU regulation on banning finning on fishing vessels stating that sharks had to be landed (making finning and throwing the rest of the shark overboard illegal). For a short time, the fishing volume for blue sharks decreased (2013: 44.703 tons in the Atlantic). But in 2016, the last year evaluated, the figure was 53.000 tons again. In addition to the lucrative business with the fins, shark meat from the blue shark was now also on the market, for which there had previously been no interest. Unfortunately, blue sharks are not the only species being caught in Europe. In 2018, European ships landed 6.018 tons of the endangered Shortfin Mako in the Atlantic Ocean. In the Mediterranean, the WWF recently found that more than half of the shark species found there are endangered.
While the 2013 regulation should be protecting sharks, it has proven not to be effective. Often it is not possible to determine whether fins or shark meat is being handled because in many countries around the world, including the EU, there is no indication of whether a cargo is an unprocessed or processed part of the fish, such as fins. This makes it very difficult to trace which parts are transported where. Another area of uncertainty is the control figures. For the Spanish longline fleet, an independent observer rate of only 1-3% is recorded on fishing vessels (Stop Finning EU).
Another point of focus is consumer awareness. Often people are unaware that certain products contain shark, as it's not clearly labelled:
SHARK LIVER OIL (labelled squalene/squalane) - this can be found in a number of products. From moisturisers, deodorants and sun tan lotion, to lip balm, lipsticks and other cosmetics. It's also used in vaccines, pills and supplements. The highest return of squalene comes from the livers of deep-sea sharks.
SHARK CARTILAGE - is sold as a health supplement in many health food shops and pharmacies. It's believed to help a variety of conditions, including arthritis, shingles, rheumatism, haemorrhoids, psoriasis and even cancer. Yet there's no clinical evidence to support these claims.
SHARK LEATHER (shagreen) - shark skin has been used for decades to make leather because it's so durable. It's particularly popular in the United States, northern Europe and Japan. It's used to create luxury items such as, wallets, shoes (including football boots created by the brand Kelme), handbags, watch straps, belts, gloves, jackets and furniture. As well as sandpaper and on sword handles, as its rough texture helps with grip.
SHARK TEETH & JAWS - these can often be seen for sale in seaside tourist shops. Despite the fact that in many countries it's illegal to catch sharks. White Sharks are protected under CITES, yet their teeth and jaws can fetch huge sums on the black market. A single tooth can sell for over $100 and a whole set of jaws can fetch up to $10,000 in the USA. Sadly, illegal smuggling of White Shark teeth is becoming increasingly common in countries such as South Africa (Shark Trust).
Sharks need our help because without sharks there are no healthy oceans. Every act, big or small, has an impact, so please consider the following:
add your name to the citizens´ initiative: https://eci.ec.europa.eu/012/public/#/screen/home
learn more about sharks and what is threatening them. A fun and informative website is Shark Life. They have several courses and you get a certificate when you complete one!
don’t buy shark products, such as meat, oil and cartilage, and shark items such as teeth as a souvenir.
eat less fish and seafood and choose wisely. By simply reducing your consumption of seafood, you can reduce the number of sharks killed each year.
reduce your usage of single-use plastics. One of the biggest threats to shark species is trash, directly (they think it is food) and indirectly (species that sharks eat consume trash).
write to legislators
spread the word both offline and online
donate to shark conservation organizations:
Main picture: Shawn Heinrichs
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