Shark Finning is one of the most treacherous practices in recent times. The trend of finning the sharks has increasingly grown popular over the last few years.
Mark Carwardine is a renowned conservationist. He has raised his concerns over the issue. The process of shark finning is one of the most painful processes. The fins of the sharks are forcefully cut off from a shark that is alive.
The shark is then mercilessly thrown away into the water. Without their fins, the sharks are unable to swim inside the oceans. Injured, helpless, and bruised, the sharks slowly die a very painful death. The fins of the shark are in great demand in China and Hong Kong. The fins serve as the main ingredient for a soup.
The soup using the fins of the sharks is a dish that has been there for over a thousand years. It was regarded as one of the special dishes and was prepared in Chinese aristocratic families. The dish was a parameter to determine how elite a family was in society.
The fins look like noodles after being boiled. However, they are nutritionally not rich. The soup has added chicken to enhance the quality of nutrition in the soup. Over the last few years, the demands for these fins have skyrocketed.
The economy of China has developed significantly. This has resulted in a great increase in the earning capacity of the Chinese community. Nowadays, a lot more people can afford the delicacy. This is a great problem for wildlife conservation.
The gruesome practice of shark finning should be stopped immediately for good. Let us learn more about the topic in detail below.
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Shark Finning: A Contributor Towards Endangering The Sharks
Shark Finning is one of the biggest problems faced in recent times. The price of the fins has made the practice even more attractive. Some of the soups can cost as much as US$100.
Unfortunately, this merciless killing has landed the sharks in grave danger. Sharks are one of the biggest mammals on Earth. Conserving these animals should be the main aim for us. The growing levels of pollution are already posing a great danger to the sea animals.
Added killing would only act as a catalyst in the disappearance of the Sharks quickly. The shark fin soup has become a staple in all the main Chinese events. Birthdays, Weddings, Anniversaries, etc all have the soup prepared as the main attraction.
Some people use these fins for medicinal purposes. In reality, the high mercury content in the fins makes it unfit for human consumption.
Shark Finning Needs To Be Stopped
Shark Finning must be curbed immediately. Recent studies have revealed shocking data. As many as seventy-three million sharks are being sacrificed annually for making the soup.
This is an alarmingly high number and should be taken due notice. The main reason for its popularity is that people are fearful of sharks. Most of the masses do not bat an eye if the sharks are alive or not. However, in order to maintain balance in the ecosystem, the sharks have to be alive.
Sharks are considered to be the tier one predator. The disappearance of such an animal would impact the balance significantly. Steps need to be taken immediately to stem the mindless slaughtering of the sharks.
Read: UK Shark Fin Ban Implemented To Aid Marine Life Conservation
The government needs to come up with more strict rules to refrain people from shark finning.
