FAQs

Are sharks really endangered?

Sharks have been on the planet for more than 400 million years, but in the last 15 years overfishing has sharply reduced their numbers. It’s estimated that up to 73 million sharks are being harvested for their fins each year. No less than 126 species shark are listed on the 2008 IUCN ( International Union for Conservation of Nature )Redlist as being globally threatened (i.e. critically endangers, endangered or vulnerable) and international trade restrictions have already been placed by CITES ( Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species ) for three species - the whale shark, the basking shark and the great white shark.

Why can’t sharks just breed more to replenish their numbers?

Being apex predators, it is natural for shark numbers to be low. Compared with other fish, sharks are slow growing and take years to mature – for example, the female Atlantic dusky shark doesn’t reproduce until at least 20 years old. Also, sharks do not always breed every year, bear relatively few young and have long gestation periods - the spiny dogfish carries her pups for nearly two years which is one of the longest gestation periods of any animal. All of this makes shark populations highly vulnerable to over-fishing. It’s a similar situation to the African bush, where a hunter could take many antelope before their numbers are threatened but would soon wipe out the lion population, if he were to take the same number of lions. Numbers of food fish and the top marine predators work the same way.

Wouldn’t the world be better off without sharks?

While sharks have a fearsome reputation, unprovoked shark attacks on humans are actually uncommon. In 2008, there were only 59 recorded cases worldwide of unprovoked shark attacks on humans . Popular dramatization of sharks as a threat to humans is far out of proportion from the reality. In the United States, for example, the risk of being struck down by lightening is 30 times more than that of being killed by a shark. Around the world, more beachgoers are killed or injured from dehydration, jellyfish stings and sunburn or while driving to and from the sea than they are by shark attacks.

Sharks play a vital role in the marine environment and their loss may have dramatic implications for the abundance of other marine populations e.g. on the US Atlantic coast, the population of scallops has dramatically declined as there are fewer sharks to regulate the population of the scallops’ natural predator, the cownose ray . Marine ecosystems are as delicate and complex as any other on our planet and we cannot predict the precise effects that eliminating sharks would have on them. What we do know is that, in addition to being a major source of food, our oceans help regulate the earth’s temperature and generate 70% of the world’s oxygen. They are a precious resource and anything that might jeopardize their stability is simply not worth the risk.

What is shark finning?

Shark finning is the practice of cutting the fins off sharks after they are caught and throwing the trunk, or carcass, of the animal, still living, back into the sea. Many people consider shark finning to be cruel and inhumane. Since up to 95% of a shark is meat of low value, the practice of shark finning saves space on boats for the more valuable fins. Accordingly, far more sharks are caught than if their entire bodies were being stored and this causes serious questions of sustainability regarding shark populations worldwide. Also, shark finning is a wasteful practice compared with other kinds of fishing. For example, by comparison, when tuna are caught, nearly all of their bodies are used in some way.

How does the HKSF expect to change a practice so deeply rooted in Chinese culture?

More and more people in Hong Kong are joining the worldwide movement to take personal responsibility for protecting the environment. Some people are motivated by a love of nature and animals, but many others simply want the earth’s natural resources, including its seas and oceans, to stay clean and healthy for the benefit of ourselves and future generations. We believe that when the facts are known, Hong Kong people will choose to conserve the earth’s resources instead of destroy them. We have a chance to set a positive example and lead a trend in communities in China and elsewhere, and we believe that Hong Kong people will seize this opportunity.

Isn’t shark’s fin good for the skin and joints?

There is no definitive scientific evidence that that shark’s fin has any unique nutritional or medicinal value. Claims that shark cartilage helps with joint problems or cancer are not proven, and supplements containing them are not accepted as effective by the food and drug administrations of any country. In fact, eating shark’s fin can actually be bad for health since sharks, being at the top of the marine food chain, are known to accumulate large levels of mercury in their flesh. Mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin - one study found a direct correlation between male sub fertility and mercury levels from fish consumption. If sharks were able to provide us with cures for serious human diseases that would be an even more important reason to protect and preserve them..