Shark fins may have been a symbol of terror for some people when we see the gliding through the waves of oceans, as portrayed in several movies such as "Jaws." The fins portrayed in pop culture show the presence of sharks or approaching ones. Regardless of their perception, this body part of a shark is crucial for the ocean predator's survival.
Moreover, another reputation of shark fins is their usage in traditional Chinese medicine and their role as a food delicacy in the form of soup. With this, illegal shark finning has become rampant in different parts of the world, even in countries where the said practice is completely banned. One such country is Brazil where a recent operation led to the "world's largest confiscation" of shark fins.
Shark Finning is the practice of removing a fin from a shark, leaving only the rest of the marine animal's body back into the ocean. There are also instances where such acts led to the eventual death of the animal. In the case of the recent Brazil shark fin contraband, the products are supposed to be sent to the Asian market, where a high demand for the fins is found.
Brazil Illegal Shark Fins
Brazilian federal authorities seized over 63,200 pounds (28,700 kilograms) of shark fins on Monday, June 19, in an instance of what may be the largest confiscations of illegal shark fins in the world, according to officials of the country's environment agency IBAMA, as cited by Live Science.
Although prohibited, shark finning practices have been recurrent in Brazil, where around 7 or 8 metric tons of sharks are seized in the state of Para, according to IBAMA Director Jair Schmitt who told Reuters about the current status of the fins in the South American country.
The said government body estimated the contraband represent the death of approximately 10,000 sharks belonging to two different species, the blue shark and shortfin mako shark, the fastest known shark species in the world. The mako sharks entered Brazil's national list of endangered shark species in graveyard last month.
Also Read: Shark Fin Trade Drops Significantly in Hong Kong
Shark Finning Industry
Humans kill around 100 million sharks each year and such practice have attracted fishermen due to the high monetary and cultural value the fins represent, according to the Smithsonian Institution, describing the 'predators turned prey.'
The institution explains that many fishermen prefer only cutting and taking the shark fins instead of the whole shark since they are far more profitable than the rest of the shark's body.
The practice has increased over the past decade due to the increasing demand for shark fin soup.
The Shark Research Institute is considering that shark finning can cause the extinction of sharks in the future. Efforts made toward the issue is convincing some restaurants not to serve shark fin soup, according to the research organization.
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