Wild Shark Finning Welfare and Conservation

Shark finning — removing a shark's fins at sea and discarding the body — causes immense suffering to millions of sharks annually while decimating populations that took millions of years to evolve.

Key Facts

An estimated 73-100 million sharks are killed annually, with finning a major driver
Finned sharks are often thrown back into the ocean alive where they sink and drown or are eaten
Shark fins fetch high prices in Asian markets for shark fin soup, a traditional status dish
Over 100 million years of evolution have produced sharks that are essential apex predators in marine ecosystems
More than one-third of open ocean shark species are now threatened with extinction
Finning bans exist in many countries but are inconsistently enforced on the high seas

Welfare Considerations

Shark finning causes prolonged suffering as finned sharks, unable to swim, slowly suffocate or are consumed alive at the ocean bottom. The welfare cost is compounded by the scale — tens of millions of individuals experiencing this fate annually. Sharks possess nociceptors and behavioral responses consistent with pain experience, and research increasingly supports that they experience distress comparable to other fish. Beyond individual welfare, the removal of apex predators disrupts entire marine food webs, affecting the welfare and survival of countless other marine species.

What You Can Do

Never consume shark fin soup or products containing shark fin
Support organizations like WildAid that campaign against shark fin consumption
Advocate for stronger international enforcement of shark finning bans on the high seas
Support sustainable seafood initiatives and choose seafood from fisheries with shark bycatch protections
Educate others about shark sentience and the ecological importance of shark populations