Today (Monday) in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and eight other Arab countries signed an agreement, called the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks (aka the MoU) to protect migrating sharks from shark traffickers, who usually want the sharks for their fins. even though fining is illegal to do in the UAE. Fining (removing their fins) causes slow, agonizing deaths for sharks since they usually are taken out of the water whole, have their fins cut off, and then are dumped back into the sea. Around seventy million sharks are killed per year because of the demand for their fins in China and other parts of East and southeast Asia, where they are used in soup (a bowl can cast around $100) and traditional medicines. Some sharks aren't even intentionally killed, but are caught with other marine animals, hit by boats, or have difficulty migrating due to climate change and altering temperatures. This agreement is a start to a larger commitment of protecting migrating sharks. In the UAE, a national plan of conservation is in progress, and some shark species, like the dugong and the whale shark, are already protected under current laws.
My school had some speakers come in last year, so I've learned quite a bit about how dangerous the shark fin industry is for sharks. We mostly learned about why restaurants and hotels should stop serving shark fin soup, and here are some reasons: (1) Shark fin contain high levels of mercury (about five times the maximum amount humans should consume daily) that can be dangerous to humans, (2) the fins don't even have a taste, so they are just there for "decoration" while being flavoured with other things, and (3) sharks are suffering enormously. I agree very strongly that all shark hunting and fining should be stopped, but I know many people don't. Shark fin soup is an ancient Chinese tradition and delicacy, but lately it has become more common, though it still remains a symbol of prestige, which many restaurants and hotels with high status won't want to give up. I believe, though, that the world is advancing, and circumstances have changed, so some traditions must end for the greater good.
Source: http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/general/uae-signs-pact-to-protect-sharks-from-fin-traffickers-1.1292279
This is so sad that people will kill a shark just for its fin! If you really want a certain animal use all of it, not just one single part. I think the worst part is that the sharks are dying slowly. The least the people could do is go ahead and kill them.
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