Interesting Video about Shark Fin Soup in China

Source

CNN. (2012). China Shark Fin Soup off the Menu. Cnn. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFeTuYhEJR0. Cable News Network. (Date Accessed: February 20, 2013).

Inadequate Attempts to End Shark Finning

Lawmakers today do not view shark finning as a pressing issue, but there are currently three international laws that are in place to protect the conservation of sharks: the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, the International Plan of Action for Sharks, and the Conservation of Migratory Species (Field 2010). Nonetheless, these three laws, although effective on a whole, is not effective specifically for conserving sharks.

(Morgan 2011)

1.    The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES

CITES is an agreement between governments that regulates the international trade of endangered species (Field 2010). Despite its success in conserving other animals, CITES is currently not an effective safeguard for sharks (Field 2010). Only three species are presently listed on CITES: basking, whale, and great white sharks (Field 2010). These sharks are listed under CITES’s Appendix II, which indicates that they are not yet threatened by extinction but could become extinct if trade is not closely watched (Field 2010). Although there are only three shark species listed on CITES, a global environmental organization, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (“IUCN”), lists two hundred sharks under its Red List, indicating that these sharks are endangered and vulnerable (Field 2010). Furthermore, even if the international trade of sharks can be effectively monitored, the amount of endangered animals could continue to increase within a country, especially if the country is poor or is without a stable government to closely monitor the trade (Field 2010). Last, since no punishment or deterrent exists for CITES, countries are going to be less likely to enforce the treaty if they are earning a great deal of money from the export or import of a certain animal (Field 2010).

2.    The International Plan of Action for Sharks, or IPOA-Sharks

The IPOA-Sharks promotes an increase in international research and recording of new data about species’ identification, populations, and trade (Field 2010). It also promotes that each state implement a “Shark Plan,” which is a plan that demands preservation by minimizing waste and discards from shark catches and encouraging the complete use of dead sharks (Field 2010). Nonetheless, IPOA-Sharks, similar to CITES, does not reward or punish countries that create or do not create the “Shark Plan” (Field 2010). It also does not benefit any country significantly, and could even hinder certain countries that are profiting greatly from shark finning (Field 2010). Because the “Shark Plan” also includes research, certain countries may not want to be involved because the money that would be spent on research and monitoring can be used in a more advantageous way to improve the country’s infrastructure and education system (Field 2010).

3.    The Conservation of Migratory Species, or CMS

CMS protects migratory species, which are endangered or run the risk of becoming endangered (Field 2010).  It presents similar issues regarding the protection of sharks that arise with both CITES and IPOA-Sharks (Field 2010). The success of CMS depends largely on research, cooperation between countries, exchange of data, and monetary support (Field 2010). Without an incentive to follow CMS, countries are less likely to protect sharks, cooperate with other states, or give accurate data (Field 2010). Additionally, CMS only lists three of the 197 shark species that IUCN or TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade-monitoring network, considers endangered (Field 2010).

(Hilton 2013)

Works Cited

CITES. (2013). What is CITES? http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/what.php CITES. (Date Accessed: February 20, 2013).

Field, M. (2010). Shark Finning: Who is the Real Predator? Animal Law. http://www.animallaw.info/articles/arussharkfinning2010.htm (Date Accessed: February 20, 2013).

Hilton, P. (2013). Shark Fin, rooftops. Paul Hilton Photography. http://www.paulhiltonphotography.com/index.php/field-notes/46 (Date Accessed: February 20, 2013). 

Morgan, S. (2011). Shark Bait: Commercial Shark Finning. Watch Documentary. http://www.watchdocumentary.tv/commercial-shark-finning/ (Date Accessed: February 20, 2013).

Traffic. (2013). About TRAFFIC. http://www.traffic.org/overview/ TRAFFIC. (Date Accessed February 20, 2013).

IUCN. (2013). What is IUCN? http://cms.iucn.org/about/ IUCN. (Date Accessed: February 20, 2013).

Shark Finning: There are Two Sides to Every Story

Sources 

Dehart, A. (2010). What Would Happen if Sharks Disappeared? Discovery News. http://news.discovery.com/animals/videos/animals-what-would-happen-if-sharks-disappeared.htm. Discovery Communications. (Date Accessed: February 20, 2013).

Al Jazeera. (2011). Taiwan to Ban Shark Finning from 2012. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2011/11/20111129145949565688.html. Al Jazeera. (Date Accessed: February 20, 2013).

What is Shark Finning and How does it Affect Marine Ecosystems?

“Shark finning refers to the removal and retention of shark fins and the discard at sea of the carcass” (Sharkwater Productions 2006). Most often, the shark is still alive when it is thrown back into the water, but because it lacks fins, it is unable to swim. The shark sinks to the bottom where it is eaten alive by other fish. Approximately 73 million sharks are killed each year, which equates to over 10,000 sharks killed every hour (Andersen 2011).

 

(Evers, 2011)

Shark fins are primarily used in shark fin soup.  This Chinese delicacy has been around since the Han dynasty formed in 206 BC (Spiegel 2013). However, the soup did not gain widespread appeal in China until the 1980s, which fueled the expansion of the shark fin industry (Spiegel 2013).  From 1991-1993 the price of shark fins doubled (Spiegel 2013). Today, one pound of shark fins, which is only three percent of a shark’s body, can garner up to $300 dollars, while shark meat is much less valuable (Mahr 2010).  In China, shark fin soup is associated with prosperity and good fortune (Andersen 2011).  It was once only served at important occasions like weddings and New Years celebrations, but is now commonly eaten in major cities as a sign of stature (Andersen 2011).   

 

(Gulick 2011) 

Five percent more people consume shark fin soup each year; the soups’ rising popularity is causing a drop in shark populations everywhere (Armstrong 2012).  Over ninety percent of all large sharks off the east coast of North America, such as tiger sharks, hammerhead sharks, and bull sharks, have been decimated (Andersen 2011).  Since sharks are predators at the top of the food chain, they reproduce and mature slower than other marine life (Park 2010).  They do not lay millions of eggs like yellowfin tuna or the ocean sunfish.  When a shark population is overfished, it takes years to engender a few more.  Fisherman will take any shark regardless of age, size, or species (Sharkwater Productions 2006).   This mass eradication of sharks results in the disruption of marine ecosystems.   Sharks are apex predators, which means they are “ecological stabilizers” (Stop Shark Finning 2013). They feed on weak, sick, or injured fish, which helps maintain the genetic health of fish populations (Mahr 2010).  The decline of large shark populations along the eastern seaboard of the United States is indirectly responsible for the decline in shellfish populations.   Cownose rays have proliferated since many of their shark predators have been decimated (Mahr 2010) and these rays have been rapidly consuming shellfish.  Shellfish numbers have declined, and water quality has declined with them because shellfish are responsible for filtering seawater (Stop Shark Finning 2013). If there is no immediate action, the ecosystem will continue to struggle and many species of sharks will be gone forever.

Works Cited 

Armstrong, D. (2012). Shark finning in the EU. Earth Times. http://www.earthtimes.org/conservation/shark-finning-eu/2194/. Earth Times. (Date Accessed: February 20, 2013).

Evers, C. (2011). Shark Fin Soup. Kurungabaa. http://kurungabaa.net/2011/10/15/shark-fin/. Word Press. (Date Accessed: February 20, 2013).

Gulick, S. (2011). Shark Finning, What Does 96% Waste Look Like?  Galapagos Fishing and Marine Life http://hawkfishmedia.wordpress.com/2011/02/21/shark-finning-what-does-96-waste-look-like/.  Hawkfish Media. (Date Accessed: February 20, 2013).

Mahr, K. (2010). Shark-Fin Soup and the Conservation Challenge. Time Magazine. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2021071-1,00.html.
Time Magazine . (Date Accessed: February 20, 2013).

Park, C. (2010). Today on Planet 100: Shark Finning 101. TreeHugger. http://www.treehugger.com/clean-water/today-on-planet-100-shark-finning-101.html.  TreeHugger. (Date Accessed: February 20, 2013).

Shark Angeles. (2011). Looming Extinction. http://sharkangels.org/index.php/issues-facing-sharks/looming-extinction. Shark Angeles. (Date Accessed: February 20, 2013).

Shark Angels. (2011). Shark Fin Soup. http://sharkangels.org/index.php/issues-facing-sharks/shark-fin-soup. Shark Angels. (Date Accessed: February 20, 2013).

Shark Savers. (2013). Finning and the Fin Trade.  http://www.sharksavers.org/en/education/sharks-are-in-trouble/finning-and-the-fin-trade/.  Shark Savers. (Date Accessed: February 20, 2013).   

Sharkwater (2013). Education - Shark Finning Facts. http://www.sharkwater.com/education.htm. Sharkwater Productions. (Date Accessed: February 20, 2013).

Speigel, J. (2013). Even Jaws Deserves to Keep his Fins: Outlawing Shark Finning Throughout Global Waters.  Boston College Law Review. http://www.bc.edu/dam/files/schools/law/lawreviews/journals/bciclr/24_2/07_TXT.htm. Boston College. (Date Accessed: February 20, 2013).

Stop Shark Finning (2013 ). What is Shark Finning? Stop Shark finning. http://www.stopsharkfinning.net/shark-finning.htm. Stop Shark Finning  (Date Accessed: February 20, 2013).

Fishy Economics? Not at All: How Shark Finning Suffers from the Tragedy of the Commons

Sharks, which are largely fished for their shark fins, as shown in the picture above, are overfished because of an economic problem known as the tragedy of the commons. (Brake 2011)

If a researcher asked an environmentalist why so many sharks are fished, he or she would probably respond, “For their shark fins, of course.” If the researcher asked an economist the same question, he or she would probably get a completely different answer. This answer, of course, would use economics to analyze the ecological problem.

Such a high, unsustainable number of sharks are fished because of an economic problem known as the tragedy of the commons. In economics, goods can be broadly classified in four categories: public goods, private goods, common resources, and natural monopolies. Sharks are a common resource, which means that sharks are goods that are non-excludable and rival. What does that mean? Shark fishing is non-excludable in that people cannot be stopped from fishing as many sharks as they want. For instance, a person could, in theory, obtain a boat and go out to fish as many sharks as they wanted. Shark fishing can be characterized as rival because there are only a finite number of sharks that exist, and a shark that one fishing boat catches is one less fish available for the other fishing boats to catch. This leads to an economic problem known as the tragedy of the commons, where overfishing occurs because fishing boats have a unilateral incentive to fish more than is sustainable and good for society.

As David Boaz of the CATO Institute, an independent, nonpartisan think tank, explains, “When people don’t own things, they have no incentive to maintain the long-term value. That’s why passenger pigeons went extinct, but chickens did not; why the buffalo was nearly exterminated but not the cow” (Boaz 2007). Unlike cows and chickens, buffalo and passenger pigeons were not owned by individuals, so people had no incentive to maintain their long-term value. Rather, they were exploited for their short-term economic value and subsequently went extinct. 

Does this sound familiar? Today, sharks are being exploited for their short-term economic value and could be extinct in the future. The tragedy of the commons has proven to be true with regard to sharks, as illustrated by the rampant overfishing of sharks that has occurred and continues to occur.

 

This graphic from the Pew Charitable Trusts, an independent, non-partisan research and public policy organization, shows the various regions and countries that export shark fins to Hong Kong, the global center of shark fin commerce. According to the corresponding report, “83 countries or territories supplied more than 10.3 million kilograms (22.7 million pounds) of shark fin products to Hong Kong in 2011,” an assertion based on statistics from Hong Kong’s Census and Statistics Department. (Benn & Brittin 2012)

Works Cited

Benn, J. & Brittin, R. (2012). “Sharks on a Collision Course.” The Pew Charitable Trusts: Environmental Initiatives. The Pew Charitable Trusts. (Date Accessed: February 17, 2013) http://www.pewenvironment.org/news-room/other-resources/sharks-on-a-collision-course-85899403508

Boaz, D. (2007). “Sharks and the Tragedy of the Commons.” CATO at Liberty. CATO Institute. (Date Accessed: February 16, 2013) http://www.cato.org/blog/sharks-tragedy-commons

Brake, L. (2011). “Malaysian state plans to make shark finning illegal.” Earth Times. Earth Times. (Date Accessed: February 20, 2013) http://www.earthtimes.org/conservation/malaysian-state-plans-shark-finning-illegal/821/