Shark finning involves the removal of fins from live sharks and discarding the body at sea, causing a slow, agonising death and driving population declines across species.
Shark finning is among the most severe and prolonged suffering caused to wild marine animals by deliberate human action. Sharks whose fins are removed are thrown back into the water alive but unable to swim, and slowly sink to the seafloor where they suffocate or are eaten alive. The scale - tens of millions of animals annually - makes this one of the largest sources of identifiable marine animal suffering in the world. Regulatory progress has been significant but uneven: while the EU and many other jurisdictions have banned finning at sea, fin imports from countries without equivalent bans continue. Consumer demand reduction remains the most powerful lever for change. Cultural attitudes to shark fin soup are shifting, particularly among younger generations in China and diaspora communities.