Shark FinningJacob Buxton

Both the legal and illegal catching, killing, and finning of thousands of sharks each year.

The finning of sharks is supported mostly by two groups. These groups are the fishermen who make money from finning and selling the sharks and the common people who like to eat the soup made from the fins.

If shark finning continues, the only advantage would be that these people continue to make money and have shark fin soup to eat.

The disadvantages of shark finning continuing are on the next slide.

Shark Fin Soup

Some disadvantages include: Many species of shark are becoming

endangered, and even extinct, because of shark finning continuing.

Animals like sea turtles and dolphins are caught in the long lines primarily used to catch sharks in large numbers.

These animals are usually killed and thrown back into the ocean.

If shark finning continues, most all species of shark will eventually become extinct

Disadvantages of Shark Finning

In 2011, Californian Governor Jerry Brown signed bill AB376, banning the trade, sale and possession of shark fins.

Similar bans have been placed in Hawaii, Washington, Oregon and Guam.

The bill went into effect on January 1st, 2012. Jerry Brown isn’t the only one against shark finning. The

Humane Society of the United states and the International Humane Society supported the ban, along with hundreds of Californians and scientists.

According to Jennifer Fearing, the Humane Society's California director, "Sharks need their fins, and we don't. The momentum to protect sharks globally has taken a huge step forward."

California’s anti-shark fin ban

Ending Shark Finning

Advantages Shark populations will begin

to return to where they once were.

If shark finning doesn’t stop, sharks will become extinct.

This will cause an over-population of the fish they eat, causing them to eat their prey into extinction, then die off because their food is gone.

Disadvantages Fishermen and restaurant

owners will make less money.

Stop Shark Finning My opinion about shark

finning is that it needs to stop.

At the rate we are killing the sharks, there won’t be any left.

Without sharks, the oceanic ecosystem will crumble.

That will mean that a lot of the seafood that you love to eat will go extinct.

Shark finning has been going on for so long, there is no one solution. Many things have to be done. Some are:

Banning the sale and possession of shark fins. This one has already started to happen.

People worldwide have to stop eating Shark Fin Soup. This will stop the profitable sale of the soup.

Long line fishing has to be banned. Long line fishing kills not only sharks, but also other marine life, like sea turtles and dolphins.

Laws against shark finning have to be enforced, or underground shark finning will prosper.

The Solution

Everybody can help the movement by not eating or buying Shark Fin Soup.

You can send petitions to your local, state, or even to the national government.

You can start a movement in your local school, church, workplace, or where ever you want to.

What can YOU do?

Anti-shark finning video

Video

If we want to save the sharkWe don’t need to use an ark

If we want to save these gemsWe’ll have to stop finning them

Let’s save the shark, and leave our mark.

Shark Fin Poem