In many parts of the world, shark fin soup is considered a delicacy for the wealthy due to the fins’ exotic taste and unique texture. Being a luxury food, it is often served at wedding banquets and formal dinners to symbolise wealth and power. The practice of eating shark fin soup dates all the way back to the Ming Dynasty in China where it was only served for emperors and high-ranking officials and coveted by commoners. Today, shark fin soup is as common as chicken soup and almost everybody in the whole world has tasted of it at least once.

            However, few people know the inhumane process of harvesting shark fins. Shark finning is the savage act of chopping off the shark’s fins and chucking its still-living body into the ocean, leaving it to die a slow and painful death. The sharks frequently die of drowning and excessive blood loss. Their fins are then processed into thin, translucent strips to cook shark fin soup and to import to the rest of the world in massive amounts to feed the market’s increasing demand for the delicacy.

Sharks, although known as one of the top ocean predators, are no match for humans. Humans are quickly replacing these deep-sea predators as the top marine predators. Every year, humans kill millions of sharks to satiate their greed. Shark finning has caused an irreversible decline to the shark population. An estimated 60 to 70% of the shark population is already gone. Not only are sharks facing the imminent threat of extinction, the surrounding marine ecosystem is negatively affected as well.

As sharks are apex predators, they play an important role in managing the equilibrium of the ecosystem. The presence of the shark population maintains the structure of the marine community and stabilises it. Sharks balance food webs and maintain a healthy prey population. They feed on sick and weak fishes to prevent the spread of harmful diseases to other species. Removing the weaker species ensures a healthier population of fish and maintains the balance of the ecosystem.

Sharks are also known as keystone species - a species on which other species in an ecosystem depend on – and removing them would hurt the ecosystem drastically. For instance, sharks prey on rays while the ray population feed on clams and other bivalves. Any major change to the population like a large scale culling of sharks causes an increase in the ray population. This sudden peak will in turn hurt the bivalve population. Not only that, the absence of sharks would also result in the loss of other marine species like tuna and shellfish. If we do nothing to stop it, the marine ecosystem might soon collapse and the shark population might be gone sooner than we can imagine.

What we need to do now as responsible citizens is to first educate ourselves on the negative effects of shark finning and then seek to educate others. We need to understand that if we do not do anything; our future generations may not be able to see sharks just as how we were not able to see dodo birds. As of now, 141 species of sharks are categorised as threatened with extinction which include the great hammerhead shark, bull shark and the tiger shark. Time is of the essence so we need to act now before it is too late.

There are many ways we can help to spread the message and increase the public’s awareness about this pressing issue. To start off, we can pledge to give up shark fin soup forever. Say no to shark fin soup at all restaurants and urge your friends and family members to boycott it too. Follow the likes of celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and basketballer Yao Ming who have also pledged to give up shark fin soup. Report restaurants that sell shark fin soup to the authorities and constantly remind friends and family that there is absolutely no scientific evidence proving that the soup has health benefits and that sharks actually contain a high level of mercury which is unsafe for consumption.

Besides, we can support our local marine organisation’s efforts in protecting these deep sea predators. Donate to them and spread the word to the public by buying their ‘Stop Shark Finning’ merchandise. Encourage others to do the same by spreading the message on social media. Actively voice out and explain to politicians on why we need to impose a total ban on shark finning and the sale of its products.

Other ideas include starting a flash mob as a means of raising awareness and educating people about the dangers of shark finning. Dress in shark costumes, sing some shark-y songs and hand out brochures to them. Alternatively, sign a petition or start a fundraiser to save the sharks.

Together, let us lend our voices to the sharks and give them a chance to live. What we do today goes a long way in saving the sharks.

Picture Credits: Google Images