Shark Finning is the act of cutting the fins from sharks and dumping the rest of the shark back to the ocean alive. They are often still alive when dumped, but without their fins, the sharks are unable to swim effectively, hence they sink to the depths of the ocean and die due to suffocation or are eaten by other creatures.
Shark Finning / Shark Fin Trading
Shark finning at sea permits fishing boats to enhance profitability and expand the number of sharks harvested, as they only have to collect and transport the shark-fins, by far the most profitable portion of the shark; the shark meat is heavy to carry. Therefore Shark fin Trading is the most devilish act and it must be stopped.
The Shark Fins are mainly used for making a popular dish called Shark Fin Soup. As a result, fishermen have a large incentive to gather and sell shark fins. Some nations like Massachusetts have outlawed shark fin trading and require the whole shark to be taken back to port before removing the fins.
Recent investigations show that approximately 73 million sharks are getting killed every year for their fins. Compared to other species shark tends to grow slowly and has a low reproductive rate, which makes their reproduction difficult. This then makes overfishing practices such as shark finning vulnerable. Over the last 50 years, some shark species have dropped their population by as much as 80%.