According to the most recent data estimates, roughly 70 million sharks are caught (and killed) each year, most of this is for food, some for sport, and sadly, some just out of fear.

But most of the commercially fished sharks are in fact killed for their fins only–their mutilated carcasses are simply tossed overboard. This is known as “finning”. The fins make their way into a dish known as shark fin soup–a prized delicacy in Japan but also in some Scandinavian countries and in Germany. And as its popularity increases, so do catches–and almost any shark will do (100 out of 400 species are presently exploited for food, according to the Shark Foundation). According to the IUCN (which tracks endangered species with its annual “red list“) and governmental and NGO conservation groups, one third or more of all shark species are endangered.

For centuries, commercial fishing was a free-for-all. But beginning in the post WW II years, it has become a growing, international issue of “too many vessels chasing to few fish.”  This is becoming especially true for sharks just over the past decade.

There are many existing laws and international treaties governing catch limits and protections for endangered species (see: International Fisheries Law and Policy Portal), but many of these international efforts are riddled with loopholes. Nearly every sea-faring nation, at some time–including the U.S.–has violated international fishing rules, or has fished in waters that they did not have a right to. But national water boundaries are notoriously contentious–especially in regions like the Arctic.  Sometimes, conflicts at sea emerge (e.g., the “tuna wars” of 1972 between Britain and Norway).

Over-fishing is perhaps the leading cause of the current, global, marine species decline (with warming trend impacts not far behind). With the over-fishing of larger sharks–known as “apex predators”(such as the great white and reef sharks) a commercially damaging cycle is set in motion; sharks maintain the populations of smaller fish that in turn feed on smaller fish that people consume commercially. Without the predators at the top of the food chain (the apex), these sub-predators run rampant and can decimate smaller commercial fish stocks.

Recent attempts to bolster international fishing laws may be getting an extra push–pending the passage of legislation now being considered in the U.S. Senate (and recently passed in the House of Representatives). The legislation is designed to close most of the loopholes in the current ban on shark finning in American waters. One hope that other nations will follow suit.

Source: GO Media -Written by Michael Ricciardi