Wild Hammerhead Shark Welfare and Fin Trade

Scalloped and great hammerhead sharks are critically endangered due to targeted finning and bycatch, with welfare consequences from live finning and slow drowning that are among the most severe in marine fisheries.

Key Facts

Live finning — removing fins from live sharks and discarding the body at sea — causes death by suffocation or blood loss
Scalloped hammerhead sharks are listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List
Shark fins are traded internationally for shark fin soup, with China the primary consumer market
Hammerhead sharks are particularly vulnerable to capture stress due to their obligate ram ventilation requirement
Many countries have banned live finning but permit removal of fins at port, which is difficult to enforce effectively

Welfare Considerations

Shark finning causes severe, prolonged suffering: a finned shark sinks to the bottom unable to swim, drowning in open water or dying slowly from blood loss. Even where live finning is banned, bycatch mortality causes significant welfare harm in animals that require continuous swimming for respiration. Hammerheads are particularly vulnerable to capture-related stress and die rapidly once hauled aboard. Consumer demand reduction for shark fin products drives the most direct welfare impact. Supporting finning bans with robust enforcement, and fin-specific trade restrictions, addresses the regulatory dimension.

What You Can Do

Avoid consuming shark fin soup and products containing shark fin
Support campaigns for comprehensive shark fin trade bans in import markets
Donate to organizations monitoring shark finning enforcement and advocating for stronger trade restrictions
Raise awareness that shark fin soup consumption drives one of the most severe animal welfare practices in marine fisheries