Up to 73 million sharks are caught each year for the global fin trade,
which fuels a demand for shark-fin soup, according to Pew. Fishers
usually slice the animals' fins off and throw their still-living bodies
overboard. On October 21 the Taiwan Fisheries Agency announced a ban starting next
year on shark finning, but the ban only mandates that caught sharks be
taken back to shore with their fins still attached.
Recently shark fin traders in Hong Kong have taken to drying freshly sliced fins
on rooftops since a public outcry over them drying the fins on public
sidewalks forced them to move the trade out of sight. Activists have raised concerns that the over-harvesting of fins is
causing an environmental calamity. Although sales have fallen in recent
years Hong Kong remains one of the world's biggest markets for shark
fins, which are used to make soup that is an expensive staple at Chinese
banquets. Shark fins cost between HK$2,880 ($369) and HK$3,580 ($459) per Chinese catty(1 pound).
 |
| Shark abattoir in Kesennuma, Japan - LINK |
 |
| Hundreds of shark fins dry in the sun at a processing plant in Manta,
Ecuador, 8 September 2012. Every morning, hundreds of shark bodies and
thousands of shark fins are sold on the Pacific coast of Ecuador.
Although the targeted shark fishing remains illegal, the presidential
decree allows free trade of shark fins from accidental by-catch. Hundreds of shark fins dry in the sun at a processing plant in Manta, Ecuador. Photo credit: © Jan Sochor. |
 |
| Hundreds of shark fins dry in the sun at a processing plant in Manta, Ecuador. Photo credit: © Jan Sochor. |
 |
| Once ashore, shark fins are slashed off
and dried in the sun, while the rest of the shark – often worthless to
fishermen – is commonly dumped in the sea - LINK |
 |
18,000 freshly sliced shark fins drying on the roof of an industrial building in Hong Kong. - LINK
|
 |
| Shark fins cover the rooftop the roof top of the Kwong Ga Factory Building in Hong Kong - LINK |
 |
| Workers lay out pieces of shark fin to dry on a rooftop of a factory building in Hong Kong. Photo credit: Bobby Yip / Reuters - LINK |
 |
| Approximately 18 thousand shark fins are left out to dry on top of an
industrial building in Hong Kong's Kennedy Town district on Jan. 2,
2013. Photo credit: Paul Hilton / EPA - LINK |
 |
| Shark fins drying in the sun cover the roof of a factory building in Hong Kong. Photo credit: Antony Dickson / AFP - Getty Images - LINK |
 |
| Thousands of pieces of shark fin are dried on the rooftop of a factory
building in Hong Kong on Jan. 2, 2013. The fins were shipped from an
unknown location and unloaded at a nearby pier to be dried on the
rooftop. Photo credit: Bobby Yip / Reuters - LINK |
 |
| More than 3,500 shark fins dry in the Taiwanese sun. Photograph courtesy Shawn Heinrichs, Pew Environment Group - LINK |
No comments:
Post a Comment