Should Shark Finning Be Banned?

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Should Shark Finning Be Banned? Every year, millions of sharks of different species and breed are gruesomely butchered just for their dorsal and rear fins. The rest of the body, yet alive but unwanted is tossed mercilessly back into the water. Since the sharks can’t move without their fins, they die a torturously slow and painful death of starvation, or many other small fishes eat them, as the sharks are unable to react. This barbaric practice is known as shark finning and has been on the increase over the past few years. The main causes for shark finning are: 1) Shark fins are used for the famous Asian delicacy known as shark fin soup. The fins are minced and mixed with spices to produce this well-known dish. People from all over the world visit largely to Asia just to try this soup. 2) Fishermen locally sell shark fins in markets, as their livelihoods depend on this. Even though the shark fins aren’t too expensive, the fishermen tend to make a grand profit out of this product. 3) Shark fins are also known for their medicinal value. Oils extracted from shark fins have medicinal values and also used as vaccinations to prevent the spread of diseases. Countries like Japan and Korea specialize in using them. This encourages more people to get into this trade. 4) As shark fin soup is a delicacy, it is sold at a very high premium, as much as 100 $ a bowl. This gives back high profits and encourages its trade. As a huge number of tourists are attracted to try this delicacy, it contributes to the increase in economy of that country. These are the main causes for shark finning. But is it justified? Every year millions of sharks are massacred, and every day, man is one step closer towards being the cause of extinction of yet another species. There are many negative aspects about shark finning: 1) Shark finning involves the barbaric slaughter of

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