SeaFood Business is the global trusted authority for seafood buyers and sellers. We are the seafood industry's leading trade magazine with more than 30 years of experience. Our coverage is based on the "business" of buying and selling seafood.
Issue link: https://seafoodbusiness.epubxp.com/i/84786
Going Green Sharks are known as apex predators, which play a crucial role in the ocean ecosystem and food chain. lowering cholesterol. As awareness of dwindling shark numbers grows, so do efforts to dis- courage the flow of product. 2012 could turn out to be the year of the shark: Tis summer, Illinois became the first inland state to ban the trade of shark fins, joining California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii. Key port states like New York, Delaware, Mary- land, Virginia, Florida and New Jersey also have introduced similar legislation or will reintroduce bills in upcoming legislative sessions. Beth Lowell, campaign director for Oceana, wonders if the bulk of the trade shifts to the East Coast, as traders go port shopping once California's shark fin ban goes into effect next year. "You want shark fishermen to con- Year of the shark Demand for prestigious soup ingredient in China spurs protest campaigns, trade barriers BY JAMES WRIGHT S hark fin soup, in high demand at Asian restaurants world- wide, is yet another example of an animal-based product considered critical to cultural identity and prestige — and worth a lot of money — pitted against emotive en- vironmental conservation efforts. According to several environmen- tal organizations, shark populations around the world have been decimated, in some cases up to 99 percent of their historical peaks, to supply a dish that is more status symbol than staple. Te groups blame a seemingly insatiable 32 SeaFood Business October 2012 demand for shark fins, which in many cases are lopped off the animals at sea while the rest of the body — about 95 percent of its total weight — is tossed overboard, a process known as finning. Each year, an estimated 73 million of the fish, known as an apex predator for its crucial role in the ocean ecosystem, are rendered helpless and left to die. Te soup, which has been part of special celebrations in China dating back several hundred years to the Ming Dynasty yet can be rather bland in fla- vor, isn't the only lure. Dried shark fins are also highly valued in Eastern medi- cine for many purposes, like increas- ing sexual potency and energy and tinue fishing. But you also want to keep the huge fins from whale sharks from driving that demand," she says. "Is there a way to address the trade while continuing to have sustainable fishing for sharks? How do you thread that needle?" U.S. law has attempted to do just that. Since 2000, finning and possess- ing or landing shark fins without the carcasses (or if the weight of the fins exceeds 5 percent of the total weight of carcasses found on board) has been banned in U.S. waters. Tat 5 percent rule was difficult to enforce, so in 2010, the law was amended to require that all sharks be landed with fins attached, which prevents high-grading and assists in proper species identification. International measures are being im- plemented. Te International Seafood Sustainability Foundation in February required all of its tuna-fishing industry participants to adopt written policies prohibiting the practice of finning and to refrain from transactions with fishing vessels that engage in the practice. And last month, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Spe- cies of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) tightened international trade regulations for porbeagle shark (Lamna nasus) and scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini). Both species are now listed in Appendix III, giving them special protec- tion among CITES parties. Visit us online at www.seafoodbusiness.com Photo by Carlos Suarez, courtesy of Oceana