Shark Fin Soup
The use of shark products is something that hasn’t been widely discussed in past years, but as the problem gets bigger there has been a push for more education and discussion on shark products. The most commonly known shark product is shark fin soup. As Chinese delicacy, and symbol of wealth, this dish is often served at weddings and banquets. The dish you doesn’t actually offer any taste from the shark fin — that comes from the added chicken broth. There is a potential hazard with consuming shark products as it may contain dangerous levels of mercury. Shark fins can cost up to $650 per kilogram. The fins make up less than 5% percent of the shark, but they hold most of its “value” so most of the time they sink them to the bottom because the shark is no longer able to swim, leaving them to later on die by getting eaten alive, suffocating, etc. When thinking about intrinsic value, meaning that other species have the right to exist regardless of human wants and needs it’s absolutely fair to say that shark finning is immoral regardless of cultural beliefs. Cutting off a body part of another animal and sinking them to the bottom for a fin that has no taste and no purpose besides aesthetic is immoral.
If people were able to actually experience these creatures in their natural environment, and not just through movies where they are portrayed like monsters, maybe there would be more of an effort to protect sharks. The real problem is that these shark products are being bought by people, and that there’s so much value on them. It would take huge cultural change which is hard, but it’s the mindsets of humans that are costing these beautiful animals their lives, but yet humans benefit so much from sharks because they keep our oceans balanced. An ocean without sharks wouldn’t be a pretty one you’d want to swim in. It would most likely be a sickly underwater swamp populated by algae, jellyfish and microbes, where fish are hard to see under the murky water.
This means that if you care about a healthy ocean for you and people in the future, you have to care about sharks and there’s definitely ways to get involved. Education is so important and telling your friends and family to not eat shark products and not support restaurants that serve shark products is a really good start. Donating to nonprofits like the South African Shark Conservancy can be a huge help for the continuation of shark conservation efforts. SASC has different programs like research diver training and women in shark science. They also do a lot of research, and get people set up with internships and opportunities to enhance their skills. SASC’s objective is to bring skill development opportunities, internships, amd eco-tourism expeditions that are focused on shark science and marine conservation. Organizations like this are great because they are enabling people passionate about the ocean to further their career in ocean science…specifically people passionate about sharks. They track and tag sharks, and do research on populations…which is what sharks need, people that are passionate about their survival. Check out https://www.sharkconservancy.org for more information.
