Wildlife

Wild Shark Finning and Marine Welfare

Shark finning — the practice of removing fins at sea and discarding the live animal — causes extreme suffering and drives multiple shark species toward extinction. International bans and fin-attached landing requirements are key policy tools.

Key Facts

An estimated 73 to 100 million sharks are killed annually, with finning a major driver
Finned sharks are often alive when returned to the water, where they sink and die from blood loss or suffocation
Shark fins are primarily used in shark fin soup, a prestige dish in parts of East and Southeast Asia
More than one third of all shark species are now threatened with extinction, largely due to overfishing
Over 100 countries and territories have adopted some form of shark finning prohibition

Welfare Considerations

Finning inflicts acute, prolonged suffering. Sharks require forward motion to breathe through ram ventilation; a finned shark cannot swim, is unable to oxygenate blood, and faces a slow death from asphyxiation, blood loss, or predation. Beyond finning, sharks caught as bycatch in longline and trawl fisheries also experience significant stress and injury. Welfare improvements require both stronger finning bans and bycatch reduction measures across commercial fisheries.

What You Can Do

Avoid consuming shark fin products and explain the welfare and conservation rationale to others
Support organisations campaigning for global fins-attached landing requirements
Urge retailers and restaurants to remove shark fin products from their offerings
Back international agreements such as CITES listings that restrict shark trade
Advocate for bycatch reduction technology in longline fisheries that incidentally catch sharks