This petition is to help put an end to shark finning and the market that supports it. 100 million sharks are being killed annually and experts estimate that within a decade, most species of sharks will be lost including the whale shark, basking shark and the great white shark being especially in danger.
We the undersigned would like to take the time to make you more aware of the terrible act of shark finning and to try and bring about an end to this heinous act.
Shark finning is the act of removing a sharks fins and tossing the body back in to the water, most of the time still alive and unable to swim so it sinks to the bottom of the ocean, slowly being eaten alive by other sea creatures. Sharks are killed regardless of size, weight, age or species.
This happens due to the high demand of shark fins which are then used in shark fin soup and traditional Chinese remedies. However this delicacy is also used as a symbol of status and wealth as shark fin meat can fetch a very handsome price at market.
Shark finning occurs worldwide, hundreds of miles out to sea. However, where figures exist, they suggest that Hong Kong is the world%u2019s shark fin trading centre, accounting for an estimated 50% - 80% of all fins traded worldwide.
We need to stop this trade before some sub-species of shark become extinct. Annually 100 million sharks are being killed for their fins and it is estimated by the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora that the whale shark, the basking shark and the great white shark will become critically endangered if nothing is done soon to help save them.
Each country with a coastline is responsible for its own laws and regulations regarding fishing in their waters and at the moment there is 169 countries legally bound by CITES.
I would like to thank you, on behalf of everyone who has also signed, for taking the time to read this letter
