Shark conservation act passed to curtail demand for shark fin soup

By: Deborah Souverain/Staff Writer

Viciously stripped of their fins, in a process known as finning, many sharks find themselves helplessly sinking to the bottom of the ocean and left for dead to fulfill the demand for shark fin soup.

Scientists surmise approximately 72 million sharks are killed each year due to finning, leaving 1/3 of the shark population endanger of extinction.

Sharks are often harvested in nets or caught on long lines, regardless of size or species. Thereafter fishermen either stab or club the shark in order to disarm the animal, the shark’s fins are then cut off and the live shark is thrown back into the water.

In efforts to curtail vast shark killings across the nation, President Barack Obama signed H.R. 81:International Fisheries Agreement Clarification Act into law on Jan. 4, significantly strengthening shark conservation both nationally and internationally.

Congresswomen Madeleine Bordallo (D-GU) first introduced the act in the House and Senator John Kerry (D-MA) introduced later in the Senate. The new Shark Conservation Act amends the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to improve the conservation of sharks.

The new law requires all vessels to retain sharks with their fins attached; therefore fishermen will be required to keep the bodies, which, apart from fins, are largely inedible and not valuable. Having to hold the body on-board, fishermen will have less incentive to fish for sharks or keep them when accidentally caught.

“Shark meat is very dangerous because it contains a lot of mercury,” said Michael Heithaus, director of the School of Environment, Arts and Society (SEAS).

Heithaus has done extensive research on the ecological role of large sharks in both Australia and Florida. Using the Western Australia seagrass ecosystem known as Shark bay for the past 14 years, Heithaus and his colleagues have observed predator-prey interactions with a special focus on Tiger Sharks and how ongoing reductions in their population are likely to impact marine communities.

“We have witnessed some shark populations decline as much as 90 percent along the North American coast. These populations may never recover;” said Heithaus.

The law allows the United States to block seafood imports from countries which permit shark finning thus aiding international shark conservation efforts.

For years, sharks have been slaughtered for shark liver oil, shark cartilage for pseudo cancer cures, their teeth, jaws, and skin for shark leather shoes and belts; however, despite being banned in the United States since 2000, shark finning has been the most pervasive issue in the conservation of sharks.

The rising demand for shark fin soup – which can be sold for $300 or more a pound – is attributed to China’s burgeoning middle class. A delicacy in many Asian cultures, shark fin soup is a symbol of affluence. Costing up to $100 a bowl, the dish is often served at special occasions such as weddings.

However, the shark fin has no flavor at all and is used primarily to add texture to the dish.

Although the new law hopes to reduce the number of sharks caught strictly for their fins, little can be done unless similar laws are passed in the international community.

In Hawaii it is illegal to posses or distribute shark fins and countries such as Maldives and Honduras have outlawed shark fishing. Finning, however, is still legal in Indonesia, the world’s largest shark-catching region.

“The new law is a great step towards improving conservation efforts; however, many sharks swim into international waters. Laws such as this one need to be implemented by international institutions as well if we hope to see a substantial decline in the number of sharks being killed annually,” says Heithaus.

Sharks are top-predators and play a vital role in marine ecosystems; a role they have been playing for over 400 million years. Losing their influence on marine ecosystems may destroy food chains of the entire marine ecosystem, cause an imbalance in predator-prey interactions as well as affect human fisheries.