Here are just some of the reasons why sharks are in big trouble .....

Sharks have inhabited the world’s oceans for over 400 million years

They have widespread global distribution and they play a vital role in maintaining the health of ocean ecosystems. We utilize them for a number of products, such as meat, cartilage and fins. They are a critical food source for many in developing countries. They are an increasingly important revenue source for dive tourism around the world.

Sharks are highly vulnerable to overexploitation

Due to their longevity, late maturity, and slow reproduction rates. Shark fisheries have often followed a “boom and bust” pattern.

Sharks are being overfished in many parts of the world

Some shark populations have declined by 90%. As bony (teleost) fish have declined due to overfishing and demand for fins has expanded sharks are increasingly targeted. Reported world catches rose from 622,908mt in 1985, to over 800,000mt in 1998. A number of species are now considered endangered, threatened or vulnerable.

No sharks are protected internationally

Only a handful of countries manage shark fisheries.

Artisanal fishermen in the developing world are losing their catches to modern technology

In many areas, shark abundance has declined due to the arrival of modern longliners and trawlers, many of which are foreign-owned and fish illegally. With human populations increasing and shark stocks decreasing, poor countries are being deprived of an essential source of protein.

An estimated 50% of all sharks taken are caught unintentionally as bycatch in other fisheries

Each year, up to 800,000mt of sharks may be caught due to the indiscriminate fishing technology of other fisheries. Data are unreliable as bycatch is largely unmonitored and unrecorded.

Marine Reserves are the new target of illegal fisheries

Many of the world’s marine protected areas, such as the Galapagos Islands and Cocos Island, are now regularly fished illegally for increasingly valuable shark fins.

The demand for shark fin soup is at an all-time high

As affluence has grown in Asia, and in China particularly, so has the market for luxury items. Reported trade in fins more than doubled from 3,011mt in 1985, to 7,048mt in 1997.

Shark fin is one of the most expensive seafood products

At up to US per bowl for shark fin soup, demand—and profit—have greatly increased pressure on shark populations. Now sharks in all regions of the globe are sought solely for their fins, wasting as much as 99% of the animal.