Wild Shark Welfare and Finning Practices

Shark finning — removing fins and discarding the living body at sea — causes prolonged suffering for millions of sharks annually. Understanding this practice and its alternatives is essential for improving shark welfare.

Key Facts

An estimated 73-100 million sharks are killed annually for their fins
Finning involves cutting off fins while the shark is alive and throwing the body back — the shark sinks and dies slowly
Shark fin soup demand, primarily in China, drives most of the global fin trade
Fins-attached landing requirements — mandatory in some countries — reduce finning but do not end shark mortality
Sharks play critical ecological roles as apex predators — their loss cascades through marine ecosystems
Many shark species are now endangered, with some populations declining by over 90% in recent decades

Welfare Considerations

Finning causes one of the most prolonged and distressing deaths documented in any fishing practice. Sharks without fins cannot swim, sink to the bottom, and die from suffocation or predation over hours. Research indicates sharks experience pain and stress — their stress responses during capture are well-documented. The scale of shark mortality from finning and bycatch involves hundreds of millions of individual animals experiencing varying degrees of suffering. Fins-attached requirements and trade bans in consuming countries have driven measurable improvements, but enforcement gaps and continued demand mean the practice continues at large scale.

What You Can Do

Never consume shark fin soup — declining demand is the most direct lever for reducing finning
Support organizations working on shark conservation and finning bans
Advocate for mandatory fins-attached landing requirements in your country
Choose sustainable seafood certified by schemes with low shark bycatch
Support consumer campaigns in shark fin-consuming countries that are driving demand reduction