Have you heard the term “shark finning” but aren’t quite sure what it means—or why it matters? I didn’t always fully understand it either. But before we get there, let me start with what first drew me to sharks.
When I was young, I would count down the days and hours until Shark Week began. I was ready to learn about the impressive great white, the cunning mako, the assertive bull shark, and the majestic whale shark. Constantly in awe of their power and presence, I watched every minute I could—trying to understand the mysterious ocean world and these ancient beings who ruled it.
But even then, one thing became painfully clear: sharks were in trouble. Shark finning—the practice of slicing off a shark’s fins and discarding the body at sea—is one of the key drivers of their decline. Each year, an estimated 100 million sharks are killed by humans, many of them just for their fins. That’s over 11,000 sharks per hour, erased from an ecosystem that cannot function without them.
Sharks aren’t defined by the shark attacks often shown during Shark Week these days. They’re so much more than something to fear. Sharks are apex predators, but they aren’t separate from us. Sharks are beings who feel, and they’re a part of the vital ocean ecosystem that keeps the planet healthy. And even though they’ve managed to be here for over 400 million years, humans have become their apex predator in the last several decades.
In 2020, a landmark study found that 77% of assessed oceanic shark and ray species are now threatened with extinction. Sharks are overfished, exploited, and often discarded alive—especially in the global shark fin trade. And unless we intervene, some species may vanish in our lifetime.
“If the ocean dies, we die.”
– Captain Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Shark finning is the act of cutting off a shark’s fins and throwing the rest of the body back into the ocean, often while the shark is still alive. Without their fins, sharks can’t swim. They sink, suffocate, or are eaten by predators. All of this happens so that their fins can be sold for profit, usually to be used in shark fin soup, a dish considered a delicacy in parts of Asia.
This practice is not only incredibly cruel, it’s also wasteful. A shark’s entire body is discarded just for a small portion that fetches a high price. Because fins are sold dried, frozen, or by weight—without any species label—nearly all shark species are at risk. A fin is a fin, whether it comes from a hammerhead, a great white, or a threatened deep-sea species.
And here’s what makes it worse: sharks must keep swimming to breathe. They rely on a constant flow of water over their gills to get oxygen. When their fins are removed, they’re no longer able to move or force water through their gills. It’s a slow, painful death—one repeated millions of times each year.
“Finning” isn’t a byproduct. It is the goal. And it’s happening across the globe, often without regulation or oversight.
Each year, humans kill an estimated 100 million sharks—many just for their fins. Despite the scale of this destruction, shark finning remains one of the least regulated practices in global fishing. That’s over 11,000 sharks per hour, or roughly 3 sharks killed every second.
Some oceanic shark populations have declined by 60–70% due to targeted fishing and bycatch.
Despite these numbers, shark finning remains poorly regulated. In many parts of the world, there are no catch limits, no species tracking, and no meaningful enforcement. Sharks are suffering in silence, disappearing by the millions to fuel a luxury market that prioritizes profit over biodiversity.
It’s difficult to know the exact number, but most estimates fall between 63 million and 273 million sharks killed by humans annually. The most widely cited average is around 100 million sharks per year, but the real total could be far higher. Much of this killing happens under the radar: through bycatch in industrial fishing, illegal shark finning, and unreported small-scale trades.
Because shark fins are lightweight and often detached from the bodies, they’re easy to smuggle and hard to trace. And many countries don’t require species labeling or tracking, making it nearly impossible to account for how many sharks are caught or killed.
Every fin in a market stall represents a shark who’s no longer part of the ocean. And without sharks, the entire marine food web begins to collapse.
The short answer? Profit. Shark fins are one of the most expensive seafood products in the world, often sold to make shark fin soup—a luxury dish traditionally served at weddings, banquets, and business events in parts of Asia. Once reserved for royalty, it’s now more widely available thanks to rising income levels and a globalized wildlife trade.
Because the fins alone are valuable, sharks are often killed only for that small part, while the rest of the body is discarded at sea. This wasteful practice isn’t just cruel, it’s ecologically devastating.
A single bowl of shark fin soup can sell for $50 to $100. Multiply that by millions of bowls, and it becomes clear why the market is so relentless.
It’s not just one species being targeted, either. Finning operations don’t discriminate—any shark, of any age or size, can be caught and killed. That includes endangered species, nursing mothers, and young sharks who haven’t yet reproduced.
And it’s not just sharks who suffer. The methods used to catch them, like longlines and gillnets, also trap sea turtles, rays, dolphins, and other marine animals as unintentional bycatch.
The single most valuable part of the shark? Its fins. On global markets, fins commonly retail for around $400–$450 per pound, making shark fins among the priciest seafood items by weight.
The economics are stark: fishermen can haul back only fins, leaving the rest of the shark to rot at sea—all to maximize profit. No wonder shark finning is so widespread, despite its cruelty and ecological consequences.
Sharks aren’t just impressive, they’re essential. As apex predators, sharks sit at the top of the marine food web, helping to regulate the species below them. When they disappear, that balance collapses. Prey populations spike, biodiversity drops, and entire ecosystems begin to unravel.
Unlike many fish, sharks grow slowly and reproduce infrequently, which means they can’t bounce back quickly from overfishing. When they’re killed in the millions, the damage isn’t just immediate—it’s generational.
Without sharks, coral reefs can degrade. Seagrass beds vanish. Commercial fish stocks collapse. The ripple effects reach all the way to land.
The cruelty of shark finning mirrors what we see in factory farming on land—debeaking chickens, tail-docking pigs, or dehorning cows, all for human convenience and profit. In the ocean, the exploitation is just as violent, but often invisible.
We can’t have healthy oceans without sharks. And without healthy oceans, life on this planet becomes a lot more fragile.
Sharks have survived for more than 400 million years, but in just a few decades, humans have pushed many species to the brink. While this practice is banned in some parts of the world, laws vary widely by country, and enforcement is often weak or nonexistent.
In the U.S., the shark finning ban has been in place since 2000, but loopholes and inconsistencies persist. Only a handful of states have banned the sale of shark fins outright, and the global trade continues to funnel fins through ports and markets with little oversight.
The Shark Conservation Act of 2010 tried to close some of those loopholes, but without a national sales ban, demand is still driving supply.
Outside the U.S., many countries have no catch limits, no requirements to bring sharks ashore whole, and no trade restrictions at all. International waters are even harder to regulate, allowing finning to continue unchecked in vast stretches of ocean.
Protecting sharks requires more than patchwork laws. It means coordinated global action, stronger enforcement, and real political will.
In 2022, the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act was signed into U.S. law, making it illegal to buy, sell, or possess shark fins nationwide. After years of stalled efforts, this federal ban finally closed a major loophole in American wildlife policy, helping to reduce the country’s role in the global fin trade.
But enforcement and awareness still lag behind. While the law bans trade, it doesn’t automatically stop the flow of illegally sourced fins through black markets or mislabeling. That’s why continued advocacy, international pressure, and transparent supply chains are still critical, because a law on paper means little if it isn’t upheld in practice.
Ending shark finning requires more than awareness; it takes a combination of strong laws, global cooperation, and consumer action. There’s no single fix, but together, these solutions can turn the tide:
We’ve pushed sharks to the edge. But with sustained effort, we can protect what’s left and give these animals and the oceans they support a fighting chance.
Laws take time. But while we wait for stronger protections, there’s a lot you can do right now to help stop shark finning and protect these vital marine animals:
Change starts with awareness—but it only works if it’s followed by action. Together, we can turn compassion into protection.
Some videos are too graphic to watch. But Stella the Shark’s story is different. In this animated short film, we dive beneath the surface to explore shark finning through a shark’s eyes—with no blood, no violence, and no horror. Just truth, heart, and a message that sticks.
This educational shark video tells the story of Stella, an independent hammerhead who glides through the ocean, unaware of the danger above. When she swims beneath a shark-finning vessel, her life changes forever, and so does the viewer’s understanding of what’s at stake.
Watch it. Share it. Every shark like Stella has a story.
Shark finning is the practice of removing a shark’s fins—usually while the shark is still alive—and discarding the body at sea. It’s driven by the demand for shark fin soup.
This practice is bad because it causes extreme suffering and destabilizes marine ecosystems. Sharks are often finned while still alive, then discarded at sea where they slowly suffocate. As apex predators, their loss triggers population imbalances that ripple down the food chain—leading to biodiversity collapse and weakened ocean health.
As of 2024 analyses, an estimated 73–100 million sharks are killed each year for their fins, often through unreported or illegal fishing. Total shark mortality—including meat, bycatch, and other fisheries—was estimated at around 76 million annually in the early 2000s, but newer studies suggest that number could now exceed 100 million per year.
Shark finning isn’t just a crisis for sharks; it’s a crisis for our oceans. The more we understand what’s happening, the more power we have to protect what’s left. Together, we can speak up, show up, and help bring an end to shark finning—for the sake of sharks, the sea, and all who depend on it.
If this helped you understand the practice of shark finning in a new light, pass it on. The more we talk about it, the more we can protect the sharks—and the ocean they call home. Every share creates a ripple that matters.
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So upsetting to hear that my favorite animals are being slaughtered by the millions.
I agree, it’s so horrifying. If you feel comfortable sharing this video on your social media, it may help to bring more awareness to others. Thank you in advance, Elizabeth!
Shameful , some people, are willing to drive a species into extinction, in pursuit of monetary gain…
I know – it’s so incredibly sad.
Thanks for this wonderful article
It really shows we need to stop this
The images are amazing thank you
Thank you so much for visiting and reading! I’m so glad you found this article helpful. Sharks can use all the help they can get right now!
So sad and scary for the sharks and our planet :-(. Thank you for educating us on this horrific practice and industry.