Sharks in Danger
February 23, 2007 By IUCN

http://www.ocean.com/resources/sharkdanger.jpg

"Pelagic sharks are taken incidentally in high seas tuna and swordfish fisheries, and increasingly targeted as new markets for their meat develop and demand for their valuable fins grows. Bans on shark's finning?Slicing off a shark valuable fins -- have been adopted for most international waters, but lenient standards and lacking enforcement hamper their effectiveness."

"Sharks in general are especially susceptible to overfishing because most species grow slowly, mature late, and produce few young. Whereas some pelagic sharks, such as the blue shark, have dozens rather than the usual handful of pups, they still have low reproductive rates when compared to most other fish species."

"The status of scalloped hammerhead shark was heightened from Near Threatened to Endangered. Hammerhead sharks are among the species most likely to be finned as their fins are highly prized for the Asian delicacy, shark fin soup."

Comment:
Sharks are always imaged as fast, powerful and wide ranging species in pelagic ocean. However, it's not the fact at all. The leading scientists have conclued that several species are now threatened with extinction on a global scale. All three species of thresher sharks, known for scythe-like tails that can be as long as their bodies - were listed as Vulnerable globally.

Sharks are especially subject to overfishing because most species grow slowly, mature late and produce few young.

Besides, an increasing new market target for their meat and their fins makes the situation from bad to worse. "Slicing off a shark valuable fins have been adopted for most international water." And little regulations and efforts would have been take.

To most Asian people, including me, "shark fin soup" is the valuable food that is a kind of meal used to celebrating special events, for exmaple wedding party, birthday party and so on. It is also a sysmbol of prosperity and power. We know the nutritional content is not that high that many subsitutes can replace. But we eat them for getting fortunate meaning. Maybe it's our traditional customs. It's sad that I had made the situation more worse. It's high time to change my mind and tell the real truth to my family and my friends around me.