Shark species threatened by appetite for soup

The demand for shark fin soup in Asia is driving many species to the brink of extinction, a marine conservation group said today.

In a report released at a UN endangered species meeting, Oceana said up to 73 million sharks are killed each year, primarily for their fins.

As a result, countries are asking the 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or Cites, to agree to regulate the trade of eight shark species during its two-week meeting in Doha, Qatar.

Shark fin soup plays a central role in traditional Chinese culture, often being served at weddings and banquets.

Demand has surged as increasing numbers of middle-class Chinese families become wealthier.

At least eight shark species, including the scalloped hammerhead and the oceanic whitetip, are being considered for Cites listing, which would put some controls on their export.

“The global shark fin trade is driving the oceans to collapse,” Courtney Sakai, a senior campaign director at Oceana, said in a statement.

“Trade measures are the most direct way to ensure that the powerful economic incentives to catch sharks do not lead to their extinction.”

Oceana estimates that Hong Kong alone imports 10 million kilos of shark fin each year from as many as 87 countries, with Spain, Singapore and Taiwan being the biggest suppliers.

The shark fin industry is also a lucrative one, with a bowl of shark fin soup running as high as $100 (€73) and the fin itself costing $1,300 dollars (€950).

Sharks are particularly vulnerable to over-exploitation because they generally grow slowly and live long lives. Their relatively low reproductive rates mean their populations are slow to recover once overfished.

Along with sharks, delegates at the UN conference are considering nearly four dozen other proposals on a range of species from rhinos to polar bears.

Later this week, they will debate a proposal from Monaco for an all-out ban on the export of Atlantic bluefin tuna, a contentious issue which has the countries of Asia and the West locking horns over a fish prized in sushi.