Will Ban on Finning Save

The Shark?
Arsya Mauly - 16715269

Bandung Institute of Technology

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Will Ban on Finning Save The Shark?

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay once visited a Taiwanese restaurant. He followed the

chef inside the kitchen and watch shark fin soup being cooked. After the soup is ready, he

grabbed a spoon and tasted the soup. It actually tastes of nothing, he said. Its like having

plain glass noodles. His professional opinion proved that there is nothing special inside the

shark fin soup, but why shark fin soup is extremely expensive?

Shark fin soup is one of the most expensive dishes in the world. Shark fins are

tempting targets for fishermen because they have high monetary and cultural value. The

incredible amount of demand has led to sharks being targeted solely for their fin.

Approximately 100 million sharks are killed globally each year in spite of its endangered

status. Since Shark meat is not highly valued, many fishermen commit shark finning. I have

gathered some information about shark and reasons why shark meat is considered luxurious. I

will also give some information about the process of shark finning and its impact to the

ecosystem. Last, I will state my opinion about shark finning.

The Origin of Shark Fin Soup

The cartilage in the fins is usually shredded and used to provide texture and

thickening to shark fin soup, a traditional Chinese soup originated by the Song Dynasty (960-

1279). The dish is luxurious and embodying notions of hospitality, status and good fortune.

Popularity of shark fin soup increased during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) as a result of an

admiral of the imperial navy, Zheng He, who commanded expeditionary voyages around Asia

and East Africa from 1405-1433, bringing back fins that fishermen had discarded. The dish is

limited for upper class or aristocrats, it is usually served in wedding, lunar new year

celebrations, and other celebrations. But by the late 1980s the demand expand to upper and

middle class.
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In the past, Chinese Emperors favored the soup as a dish that honored guests because

it was thought to have medicinal benefits and represented a victory against powerful sharks.

Shark fin soup is claimed to be boosting sexual potency, healthy for skin, increasing energy,

preventing heart disease, and lowering cholesterol. In other word, an anti-aging dish. In fact,

shark fin contains relatively high levels of mercury which is dangerous for human body. High

level of mercury can be determined as neurotoxin which can disturb coordination of human

body. Since its harmful contents it is strange that each fin fetching about US$50-150 and

some species getting $10,000-20,000.

World Demand for Shark Products

According to the graph I got from Food and Agriculture Organization of United

Nations, in 2011 the world trade of shark fin worth USD 300 to 450 million involving 17.000

tons of shark fins while for shark meat worth USD 400 to 450 million involving 120.000 tons

of shark meat. In 2011 Indonesia became the main country in the world to capture

chondrichtyan fishes, including many species of sharks which is accounted 20% of global

catch. Hong Kong, China has been known as the trade center of shark products and became

the main exporter and importer of shark products in the world.

Cruelty of Shark Finning.

This impressive amount of demand has led to sharks being targeted solely for their

fins, sadly many fishermen prefer practice shark finning than bringing the whole sharks to the

harbor. Shark meat is not highly valued, but the fisherman wanted to save a considerable

amount of space inside their boat. Since its meat would take a lot of space, shark is thrown

back into the sea after its fins are hacked off. For the fisherman it means profit and efficiency

but for the shark it means a gruesome death.

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The Impact of Shark Finning

Because of the female sharks delayed sexual maturation and low reproduction rate,

overfishing can make some shark populations declined in number. For example the scalloped

hammerhead, which is endangered, and the smooth hammerhead, which is vulnerable

according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Between 1.3 and 2.7

million of these two sharks are killed every year in the shark fin trade, and the northwestern

Atlantic population of the scalloped hammerhead declined from around 155,500 in 1981 to

26,500 in 2005 (www.fisheries.noaa.gov, 2010). Today, some shark populations have

decreased by 60-70% due to human shark fisheries.

Sharks are the top predator in the ocean, like the tiger on land. The indiscriminate

butchering of the main predator of the ocean can give rise consequences for the marine

ecosystem. For example along the US East Coast large sharks such as black tip and tiger

sharks is in very critical state. (www.stopsharkfinning.net, 2013). The data results that there

have been declines in shellfish numbers. Shellfish has been known as the filters of sea waters.

The impact is reduction in water quality. Apparently, populations of small sharks, rays and

skates which is the large sharks prey, have increased rapidly because they are the top

predators now. These populations consuming shellfish at an unsustainable rate.

Sharks Are More Valuable Alive

A new study by the Australian Institute of Marine Science concludes that sharks

worth far more alive and swimming (www.pewtrusts.org, 2011). The study conducted in

Palau, the Pacific Island nation that declared its waters a sanctuary free of shark fishing,

sharks contributes more for tourism industry. They found that its worth far exceeds that of

shark fishing. In fact, the estimated annual value to the tourism industry of an individual reef
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shark that frequents in these sites reaching USD 179,000 or USD 1.9 million over its lifetime.

In contrast, a single reef shark would only bring an estimated USD 108.

Tourism business is suitable for maritime country like Indonesia. There are many sites

that has potential to tourism in Indonesia, for example in Raja Ampat. In my opinion, to

conserve the sharks that live ini indonesias ocean, Indonesia should change from shark

fisheries to shark tourism. The study above can be a strong reasons for Indonesia to start a

revolution of shark business.

Regulations of Shark Finning

Regulations has been made either internationally and nationally. The international

regulation is made by Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild

Fauna and Flora (CITES). CITES is a global instrument for regulating international trade in

listed wild species that are or may be affected by such trade. CITES can complement fishery

management to encourage fishery stakeholders managers and fishermen alike to

implement and follow sustainable fishing practices.

In Indonesia the regulation is written on Government Regulation (Peraturan

Pemerintah) No.7 / 1999, Ministerial Decree of The Ministry of Maritime and Fisheries

Affairs No. 18 / 2013, No.4 / 2014, and No.59 / 2014. All these regulations are prohibition of

exporting any kind of products containing numbers of species of sharks. Also all shark

fishing is prohibited in Raja Ampat, Indonesia in 2010, trade in sharks and manta rays as well

as fishing of manta rays banned in February 2013.

But many said that the regulation without the awareness of the people involved in the

bussiness only leads to black marketing. In fact, shark finning still happening in Indonesia.

The ironic example can be found in Raja Ampat which recently declared its waters as a
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sanctuary for sharks and stingrays. Kresna Astraatmaja, a field producer for documentary

ocean film found many sharks without fins at the bottom of the ocean in Raja Ampat.

(www.dw.com, 2014)

Regulations Should Be Supported

In my opinion, the regulations from the government should be supported by people

involved in shark bussiness. Community take a main role to socialize to consumers that shark

is in endangered state and eating shark fin will make it worse. Consumers is the keystone of

these bussiness. If the amount of consumers decrease, shark fin will be worthless and

fishermen will no longer hunting shark fin. Socialize to restaurants that shark is in

endangered state and serving it will make it worse will also help the government regulations.

It also important to socialize to fisherman that shark is more valuable alive. Since The

government is seeking to restrict shark fishing in a way that will not severely hurt fishermen

in the country, which has become one of the worlds largest suppliers of shark fins,

community should give the fisherman who still depend on shark-fishing some training about

diving, snorkeling, and tourism to encourage them to change their bussiness into tourism

which clearly more profitable.

Conclusion

Consuming shark fin is a part of Chinese culture, which shark fin consumed only for

prestige, in fact it is unhealthy. Shark finning practice means profit and efficiency for

fisherman but gruesome death for the shark. World demand for shark products is remarkably

high in spite of its endangerd status. Indonesia is one of the main role in shark fishery.

Regulation from the government must be supported by education about the endangered state

of shark and change the bussiness into tourism.

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References

Banerjee, Ananda. (2014, March 4). Will ban on finning save the shark?. Retrieved from

http://www.livemint.com/Politics/7STaG3SCqMvwQ5C03tbhyJ/Will-ban-on-finning-

save-the-shark.html

Budiman, Andy. (2014, January 18). Indonesia: Surga Hiu dan Para Pemburunya. Retrieved

from http://www.dw.com/id/indonesia-surga-hiu-dan-para-pemburunya/a-16639561

Fairclough, Caty. Shark Finning: Sharks Turned Prey. Retrieved from

http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-news/shark-finning-sharks-turned-prey

Govt seeks ways to curb shark fin exports. (2013, November 4). Retrieved from

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/11/04/govt-seeks-ways-curb-shark-fin-

exports.html

Million-Dollar Reef Sharks. (2011, May 2). Retrieved from

http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/reports/2011/05/02/milliondollar-

reef-sharks

Smith, Laurent. (2015, March 10). Shark fin soup: a dangerous delicacy for humans and

sharks alike. Retrieved form

https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2016/mar/10/shark-fin-soup-a-dangerous-

delicacy-for-humans-and-sharks-alike

What is Shark Finning?. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.stopsharkfinning.net/what-is-

shark-finning/