Sharks Don't Belong in Soup: Tell Congress to Protect Sharks From Finning

The Chinese delicacy of shark fin soup, once reserved for a small elite, is now becoming commonplace cuisine for the country's growing middle class. While Chinese diners may be elated, the situation means bad news for sharks and the health of the world's oceans. I really don't take it lightly to point to another culture and say "what you're eating is wrong," but there is ample reason to be concerned on this account.

Firstly, the sharks themselves are not used for soup. Their fins are cut off, and most of the time, the rest of their maimed bodies are thrown back into the water, leaving the animals to die. This cruel practice of shark finning is the greatest contributor to the 100 million sharks that are killed each year.

Secondly, because sharks sit at the top of the food chain, they contain high levels of mercury, so eating them could could be detrimental to one's health. And lastly, we need shark — and moreover, the oceans need sharks. Oceana's marine scientist Kerri Lynn Miller explained, "No one knows exactly what the oceans will look like without sharks, but some possibilities include economically important fisheries shut down; coral reefs shift to algae-dominated systems; seagrass beds decline; and species diversity and abundance decline with the loss of habitats."

Right now we're facing 90-percent decline in shark populations across the globe. So what can we do?

Change.org's Sustainable Food Editor Sarah Parsons recently blogged about illegal shark finning in Brazil, calling out the practice and highlighting one organization working to fight back. Ethical Traveler has also launched an initiative to ban the practice in Costa Rica where shark finning has run rampant despite regulations against it. But while this is a global issue, there is also important action to be taken in the U.S., where shark finning does still occur. Oceana has launched a campaign to pass the The Shark Conservation Act, which would end the practice of shark finning in U.S. waters.

In 2000, President Clinton signed a law banning shark finning. Unfortunately, the law contains loopholes and has been poorly enforced. The Shark Conservation Act of 2009 is seeking to remedy that and to allow the U.S. to be able to take action against other countries with scant shark finning regulations. The legislation has already passed the House — you can help get it through the Senate and signed into law by signing Oceana's petition. Sharks act as one of the most critical keys to healthy ocean ecosystems — and they're pretty damn amazing creatures, too.

Photo credit: StormyDog