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“[U]p to 70 million sharks are culled annually for the [shark
fin] trade, despite the fact that 30% of shark species are
threatened with extinction” (para. 3). However, the death
numbers are only an estimate because it is simply impossible
to know how many sharks are finned at sea. Finning is a
method where the sharks are hauled still alive up on the boat,
here their fins are hacked off; then their now fin-less bodies
are discarded back into the sea to die. More and more
countries have made open-sea finning illegal in the oceans
controlled by those countries. Many fisheries are willing to
break the law because the value of shark fins is simply too
good to pass up. One pound of shark fins can fetch a price of
$300 (Mahr 2010). This may not seem like much money, but
when it is taken into account how many thousands of pounds
these fishing boats can carry it is plain enough to see why
some feel the risk of illegal finning is worth it.
What is the main method used for catching sharks?
The first and most common method is referred to as
longlining; the process involves using a main line, and every
few meters another short line is attached with a hook and bait.
Some long lines stretch as far as 10 miles and can have up to