The Finning Industry 1

Cassandra Shank

Professor Deane

Introduction to Research - 001

April 29, 2019

The Finning Industry 2

Introduction

My upbringing consisted of a lot of asian traditions and cultural ideations. I was brought up to

honor the strength that these beautiful creatures held. I was able to appreciate sharks because of

the important role that they play in both the economy and in marine ecosystems. As I grew older,

more and more of my peers gained interest in sharks, especially with the growth of the following

of Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. Sharks are such a vital part of many ecosystems since

they remove of different species can be detrimental to the environment (Shark Education, 2018;

(Fairclough, 2018; Pepelko, 2015; Wilson, et al. 2019; I'm FINished with Fins, n.d.; Dąbrowski,

2017). Shark finning has influenced the conservation status of different shark species worldwide

in the sense that an estimated 100 million sharks are killed for their fins annually (Pepelko, 2015;

Shark Education, 2018). Since sharks grow slowly and have low reproductive rates, sharks are

very susceptible to rapid population decrease, especially if there are no regulations on the age,

species, and gender of the sharks that are being caught. This would mean that it is next to

impossible for sharks to overcome the overharvesting of their species (Fairclough, 2018). It was

found that in the last fifteen years, there has been up to 90% of a decrease in the shark population

(Pepelko, 2015). This decrease would cause the prey of the sharks (i.e. fish) to run rampant and

cause the organisms that are prey for those to experience a population decrease. In turn, this

would mean that the biodiversity for that ecosystem to decrease (Fairclough, 2018).

As time progresses, more and more of these species are being placed on The United Nations

Convention on the Trade of Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) endangered list due
The Finning Industry 3

to overharvesting fins. If the finning industry continues in its rapid harvesting of fins, many

studies have found that eventually the majority of the ocean will consist primarily of jellyfish

and plastic waste (Stafford, 2019). Countries need to become proactive about changing the

finning industry in order to establish sustainable practices.

What is Finning?

The act of finning is when an individual removes the fins off of a marine organism, mainly

sharks, and then discards the rest of the carcass into the body of water (Shark Education, 2018;

ILOULIAN†, n.d.). The sharks that are captured to fin can be any species, size, gender, and age

which makes the reproduction of that shark species even more crucial for the sharks that remain

untouched by the fishermen (Shark Education, 2018). In most cases, the shark is still alive when

it is thrown back into the water. As the shark is unable to swim, it sinks towards the bottom of

the ocean, dying on the way down from suffocation, predation, or from blood loss (Fairclough,

2018; Márquez, 2018). On the other hand, shark finning does not include when the fins are

removed from the shark once the boat is docked or if the fins are removed prior to docking but

still have the carcass aboard the ship (Latchford, 2013).

The unwanted remains of the bodies are often returned back into the ocean due to the fact that it

is more cost efficient for fishermen to only haul back in the valuable parts of the bodies. In total,

about 5% of the shark’s bodies are utilized by humans, meaning that there is a substantial amount
The Finning Industry 4

of waste when it comes to finning and shark fishing. This 5% consists primarily of fin

consumption (Shark Education, 2018). The fins of a shark are often consumed in shark fin soup,

a delicacy in many coastal and asian cultures. This dish contains shark fin that has been steamed,

soaked, and washed for days prior to the consumption. The fin is then cut into very thin slivers

and added to the soup where it will steap for eight to ten hours in order to give it the texture that

makes it more pleasant to chew. The fin itself does not have a taste, but instead the taste comes

from the seasonings added to the broth that it is cooked in. This dish originated during the Ming

Dynasty when it was served to the royals during banquets and other formal events. Since the

Qing Dynasty, this dish is thought to represent the wealth that an individual or a family has. In

more recent years, the chinese government has had a boost in their economy so that more

individuals have a greater income. This means that more people are able to purchase this

expensive delicacy (Carwardine, n.d.; CLARKE, MILNER-GULLAND, BJØRNDAL, 2007;

History of Shark Fin Soup, n.d.). Since the demand has increased for this product, the finning has

also increased in addition to improved fishing technology and improved market economics. This

is crucial because the demand for the product has greatly increased the productivity of finning.

The Economical Side of Finning

One reason why finning is such a popular activity is that it creates a large revenue for the

fishermen. Overall, the value of the shark’s meat is low. This is the reason behind discarding the

shark’s carcass back into the ocean once its valuables have been taken from it. The finning
The Finning Industry 5

industry is valued to be a multi-billion dollar industry due to the value of the shark fins. The

current price point for a kilogram of fin is over a thousand dollars. Finning is a short-term

economic gain which is not going to be sustainable for much longer (ILOULIAN†, n.d.; I'm

FINished with Fins, n.d.; Dell, Smith, Kaneshiro-Pineiro, 2014).

Cultural Values of Finning

Shark fins hold a cultural value to some groups of individuals. Due to the fact that shark fin soup

was brought to light by Asian royals a very long time ago, the dish can still be significant to

some families. It is thought that the dish honored guests due to its representation of a victory

against the powerful sharks and the supposed medical benefits of the fins. There is a folk belief

that the shark fins could be used as a tonic in the winter as a broad spectrum cure-all or possibly

as an aphrodisiac. The delicacy has evolved to be a way that families can show their wealth and

prosperity to their peers. Since many asians have immigrated to the United States, they have also

brought the delicacy with them (Latchford, 2018; Heimbuch, 2012).

There are also three other dishes that are served at special occasions. As well as the shark fin

soup, the dishes include of abalone, sea cucumber, and fish maw. Shark fin is so popular because

of its great expense and it is known as a “conspicuous consumption” product which displays a

family’s social status. It is told through Asian folklore that if a bride marries into a family and
The Finning Industry 6

there is not shark fin soup on the table, she is marrying into a poor family since the groom’s side

pays for the banquet traditionally (History of Shark Fin Soup, n.d.).

A study was conducted by Lauren Latchford in which she delved into analyzing shark finning in

the United States. She generated survey questions which focused on the cultural significance of

the dish. For this survey, three main cities were chosen, San Francisco, New York, and

Washington DC. These three sites were chosen because they are hot spots for asian americans

according to the US Census Bureau. The survey was sent out in various ways, such as social

media and email, so that it could reach and more broad population. The survey was opened on

January 9, 2013 and closed April 15, 2013. When the survey closed, there was thirteen responses

from New York, twenty-nine from San Francisco, and thirty-five from Washington DC. 75% of

the respondents had consumed shark fin soup at one point or another, and only 32% knew that

the shark populations were declining. It was noted that 25% of the participants who had

consumed the dish had eaten it over fifteen times, and the majority of those participants came

from San francisco (Latchford, 2018).

Sharks in the Ecosystem and in the Economy

Sharks allow ecosystems to balance itself due to the fact that they remove the weaker links in

species which in turn helps that species breed for a better chance of survival. Healthy shark

populations have an interesting relationship with coral reefs which is that the sharks allow for
The Finning Industry 7

higher cover of reef-building corals and lower levels of coral disease. They also support healthier

and more abundant populations of fish species which means that the biomass will be higher

levels than the areas which do not contain a healthy amount of shark populations (Dobrowski,

2017; I'm FINished with Fins, n.d.).

CITES have been working on making strides to amend the issue of the rapid decrease in shark

population. CITES currently has 169 countries that have agreed and are legally bound (Shark

Education, 2018). CITES have listed sharks in Appendix I, II, III and have identified 67 different

species of sharks, rays, and skates as critically endangered. These appendices are simply lists of

the species’ different levels of susceptibility to extinction and types of protection from

over-exploitation (Latchford, 2018).

Not only does this negatively impact the environment, but also the economy. A lot of money is

spent by divers and tourists in order to travel to different dive sites. At these dive sites, they are

able to see the diverse groups of marine life. With sharks being overharvested, this diversity will

no longer be the case. In addition, sharks are listed as the top animal that divers and tourists like

to see on a diving trip. This means that the ecotourism for this area will generate less revenue

due to the unsustainable harvesting of fins (I'm FINished with Fins, n.d.).
The Finning Industry 8

Counterargument

One of the main arguments against the ban of finning is that it is a cultural practice. Senator Ted

Lieu states that the ban “goes out of its way to be discriminatory” in the sense that the ban is

singling out a specific cultural practice. The Asian American Rights Committee of California

filed a lawsuit against California due to the fact that they thought it violated congress to ban the

trade of shark fins. Along the same lines, the Asian Americans for Political Advancement and

the San Francisco Chinatown Neighborhood Association wanted an injunction that would stop

California from banning shark fins due to the fact that it was unfairly targeting the

Asian-American community (Latchford, 2018).

Another argument against the banning of finning is that it could be done so sustainably and the

ban is not necessary. Shiffman found that nine out of ten shark experts suggest sustainable

practices rather than outright banning it. It is suggested that identifying the sharks would be

helpful in creating a sustainable practice. This way, the fishermen will be able to catch the sharks

that are in abundance rather than those who are on the brink of endangerment. The concern with

this is that the identification guides can be difficult to distinguish between different species when

they look morphologically similar (Márquez, 2018).

The enforcement of the laws put in place can be considered to be lackluster. The Animal Welfare

Institute updates a list of restaurants that serve shark fin soup and notifies the enforcement
The Finning Industry 9

agencies in each of the states. Although the restaurants get reported, the bans have not stopped at

least ten of the twelve states that serve this delicacy. One possible reason for this is that it is hard

to catch the perpetrators due to the fact that a lot of the fin trade happens in underground

markets, similar to the illicit drug trade. One example of this is when O’Brien and his team of

law enforcers confiscated over 2,000 pounds of shark fin near San Francisco Bay which was

estimated to be valued at at least $500,000. The violator, Michael Kwong, pleaded guilty and

was sentenced to 30 days in jail, a court fine, and three years probation. This was the one of the

only major wins for law enforcement. Since then, the leads have dried up and it is suspected that

a lot of the fins are being stored off premises in private properties which would need a search

warrant. O’Brien says, “Essentially, the market has gone so far underground that it requires more

specialization than I have to dig up” (Wilson, et. al, 2019).

It is difficult for law enforcement to determine if a restaurant selling shark fin soup is using real

fin or imitation. Once the fins are dried and absorbed in the soup, the only way to tell if it is real

or not is through DNA testing. Ashley Spicer works with the Wildlife Forensics Lab at the

California Department of Fish and Wildlife. She has seen a variety of samples to test including

frozen fins in vacuum-sealed packages and soups in to-go containers (Wilson, et. al, 2019).

One instance of a restaurant owner getting caught for serving shark fin was Qi Zhou and his

wife. The wife led the wardens to the walk-in freezer where he was shown six bags of shark fins.

Before the warden left, the family told him that the supermarket located next door also was
The Finning Industry 10

offering it. Upon further investigation, the supermarket, Tao Marketplace, was also selling shark

fins. When the warden went to scope out the market, he found approximately 40 shark carcasses

with their tail fins removed. With gloves, they sealed the fins from both places in separate

containers and sent then for DNA testing. The supermarket’s case is still pending, but the family

restaurant was found guilty and was charged with a one dollar fine. The court had also ordered

the family to make a donation to the Animal Welfare Institute, which totalled less than $1,000

(Wilson, et. al, 2019).

Another issue that people have with the ban is that CITES in the sense that the organization has

many flaws. One of these flaws being that it only applies to the international trade of shark fins

rather than the domestic consumption. Another issue is that CITES is slow to move on an issue

and take action against it. For example, it takes two thirds of the majority parties in attendance at

the annual conference to place a new species on the list in any capacity, whether that be

endangered, threatened, etc. Another issue is that CITES is self-regulating so it creates

opportunities for corruption. To explain further, when a country joins CITES, it takes on the

responsibility of enforcing the regulations in its own country. Basically, this means that CITES is

only as strong as the weakest link among the countries (ILOULIAN†, n.d.).

Proposal and Explanation

In order to combat the issue in the sense that both sides will be pacified, several actions need to

be done. Although current actions are being done to alleviate the negative effects of shark

finning, the actions are not enough or are not efficient. For example, China has been slowly
The Finning Industry 11

working toward ending shark finning by banning it at official banquets since 2012. Although this

sounds proactive, a survey found that only six percent of luxury hotels had stopped serving the

dish (Wassener, 2012)

The main component of the plan should be to educate people. This will help reduce the demand

of shark fins. According to a 2018 WildAid report, 75% of shark fin consumers were not aware

of the fact that the soup they were eating was made from shark, and most of these individuals

had falsely believed that sharks had the ability to regrow their fins (Wilson, et. al, 2019).

In recent years, there have been a few anti-finning campaigns in Asia led by celebrities. For

example, Yao Ming, a famous basketball star, had a campaign where he was sitting in front of an

aquarium with a ceramic cup of shark fin soup. He looks directly into the camera lens and says,

“Remember, when the buying stops, the killing can too.” This struck a chord among many of the

youth due to the fact that Yao Ming is very influential. These celebrities and influential figures

are able to reach a broad audience. With this capability, it is important to spread accurate

information to help change the ideas of the generations to come and hopefully current

generations. In other words, not only do we want to stop the market for shark fins, but we want

to educate the population about sustainable practices for if an individual would like to continue

on with consuming shark fins (Heimbuch, 2012; Wilson, et. al, 2019).
The Finning Industry 12

Since many people still believe in false information surrounding the medical benefits that shark

fins have, it is important to reeducate people. It is important to note that tests were conducted by

the Hong Kong government and it showed that 10% of all dried seafood, majority of them being

shark fins, contained health hazards. An example of one of these health hazards is the level of

mercury which could be lowering the fertility rate in men. The reason why sharks have such high

levels of mercury is that the mercury accumulates through bioaccumulation which is significant

since they are at the top of the food chain. To put this into perspective, a shark eating one

medium sized fish a day equates to approximately 3,650,000 pieces of mercury now in that shark

(CLARKE, MILNER-GULLAND, BJØRNDAL, 2007; ILOULIAN†, n.d.).

The current regulations in place in the United States are not efficient in the sense that they left

some loopholes. Since the United States is the eighth largest shark finning country in the world

and they have enormous power in the United Nations, it is important for there to be sturdy laws

in place. Not only are there some major loopholes, but there is a lack of budget so that there is

not as much reinforcement as there should be (Latchford, 2018).

Requiring the full shark to come on land and not just the fins is beneficial. This would ensure

that there would not be as much waste. To make sure that this is being followed, there should be

a worker from the state at the docks to check the boats. This would allow the boats to be checked

to see if they are hiding any fins that are not associated with a shark and act accordingly. Often

times, the fines that are associated with finning are minimal. If the ban and the other regulations
The Finning Industry 13

in place are meant to be taken seriously, the cost of the fines need to be increased. The United

States is the country which has laws to make it so that finning cannot happen while out at sea.

Similarly, the United Kingdom has adopted similar policies. It it thought that the United States

and the United Nations should work to be more of a model for other countries to follow since

they have robust shark finning bans and limitations. Specifically, Hong Kong does not have such

regulations in place which is not proactive in the scheme of things. Even 91% of the Chinese

population believes that the government should be more proactive on the issue of shark finning

(ILOULIAN†, n.d.).

In order for the United States and the United Kingdom to be proper models and eventually have

the asian countries follow their footsteps in terms of regulation, they need to negotiate with the

governments. Since they have a more sturdy legislation on the topic, it shows the asian

governments the legitimacy of the issue. In addition, the United States and the United Kingdom

are some of the most powerful forces in the global economy. This would allow for better trade

negotiations and limitations to be set out to limit the amount of fins that are traded

(ILOULIAN†, n.d.; Earth Touch News David Moscato David Moscato is a science

communicator, 2017).

The United States working with the United Kingdom would have to eventually convince the

asian governments to adopt the “fins naturally attached” policy. (Márquez, 2018). In addition, the

governments should work to expand their jurisdiction to overseas in the countries’ territories.

Overall, the regulations in asian governments would not ban shark finning, but work to make it a
The Finning Industry 14

more sustainable practice (ILOULIAN†, n.d.). This would then ensure that most people are

placated in this situation. If countries work to educate their citizens and work on implementing

sustainable practices, then the economic and cultural aspects of the finning industry would still

be in place.
The Finning Industry 15

References

Carwardine, M. (n.d.). What is shark finning and why is it a problem? Retrieved from

https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/fish/what-is-shark-finning-and-why-is-it-

a-problem/

CLARKE, S., MILNER-GULLAND, E., & BJØRNDAL, T. (2007). Social, Economic,

and Regulatory Drivers of the Shark Fin Trade. Retrieved from

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/mre.22.3.42629561

Dell, A., Smith, M. C., & Kaneshiro-Pineiro, M. Y. (2014, May 15). The Influence of

Culture on the International Management of Shark Finning. Retrieved from

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00267-014-0291-1

Dobrowski, C. (2017, November 06). Economic and Environmental Effects of Shark

Finning. Retrieved from

https://medium.com/@1232449385/extended-essay-rough-draft-f5e7099b848c

Earth Touch News David Moscato David Moscato is a science communicator. (2017,

November 02). A US ban on shark fins is a bad idea, say researchers. Retrieved from

https://www.earthtouchnews.com/conservation/human-impact/a-us-ban-on-shark-fins-is-

a-bad-idea-say-researchers/

Fairclough, C. (2018, May 14). Shark Finning: Sharks Turned Prey. Retrieved from

https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/sharks-rays/shark-finning-sharks-turned-prey

Heimbuch, J. (2012, January 12). Shark Finning - The Big Picture of a Big Problem.

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https://animals.howstuffworks.com/endangered-species/shark-finning.htm
The Finning Industry 16

History of Shark Fin Soup. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.sharktruth.com/learn/history-of-shark-fin-soup/

I'm FINished with Fins. (n.d.). Retrieved from

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-soup-harms-our-oceans/

ILOULIAN†, J. (n.d.). FROM SHARK FINNING TO SHARK FISHING: A

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HONG KONG. Retrieved from

https://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1343&context=delpf

Latchford, L. (2013). CONSERVATION OR CULTURE? AN ANALYSIS OF SHARK

FINNING IN THE UNITED STATES.

Márquez, M. C. (2018, November 07). A Recent Win For Sharks Against The Cruel Act

Of Shark Finning. Retrieved from

https://www.forbes.com/sites/melissacristinamarquez/2018/11/07/a-recent-win-for-sharks

-against-the-cruel-act-of-shark-finning/#1864864f1ca4

Pepelko, K. (2015, December 02). 7 Alarming Facts About the Shark Fin Trade.

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Shark Education | Sharkwater Extinction. (2018, August 03). Retrieved from

https://www.sharkwater.com/shark-education/

Stafford, R. (2019, February 24). How overfishing and shark-finning could increase the
The Finning Industry 17

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f-climate-change-67664

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ate-banquets.html

Wilson, J., Eisele, J., Skerry, B. J., & Courtesy California Department of Fish and

Wildlife. (2019, March 25). Shark fin is banned in 12 U.S. states-but it's still on the

menu. Retrieved from

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/01/restaurants-sell-shark-fin-soup-des

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