Why ban shark finning?
• Finning is responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of sharks every year. • The removal of the ocean’s top predators may have serious, widespread effects for marine ecosystems and potentially threaten yields of other commercially important species. • Finning is hugely wasteful – throwing away 95% of a valuable protein source should not be an option in a world where fish stocks are declining and millions of people face chronic hunger. • Finning prevents species-specific catch data from being collected. Without such information, sustainable management of shark fisheries is not possible. Who are the largest offenders of shark fin? Hong Kong handles at least 50% and perhaps as much as 80% of the world trade in shark fin. The Hong Kong Government Census and Statistics Department maintains detailed records of unprocessed and processed shark fin imports (recorded as weight and value of frozen/salted and dried fin) by country of origin and country of consignment. These records show tha
