Campaign reels in shark finning BY MICHAEL SHARP

AVID MCGUIRE was diving predator. This, primarily to soup, a luxury dish in Chinese underwater in the Pacific Ocean, supply the global demand for cultures. That’s left several exploring coral reefs around shark fin soup. 100 species facing the very real remote islands, when the questions first Arriving at larger ports, million threat of extinction, from began to gnaw at him. McGuire began to see shark skittish hammerheads to the What’s going on here with these islands? fins lining the rails of fishing Estimated more placid porbeagles. Where are the sharks? vessels. Returning home later, number of But animal protection and McGuire was studying marine ecosys- he began researching the sharks killed conservation groups continue each year tems for the University of California- issue. He would produce a to push back—and in 2013, for their fins Berkeley, an expedition that would take documentary. He would start the global campaign against him from San Francisco to New Zealand the nonprofit group Shark shark finning scored its most and back, between 2001 and 2003. Stewards. He would go on to significant year to date. “Some of these reefs had hundreds of work with The HSUS, advocating for state “We’ve made huge, huge steps,” McGuire sharks—it was crazy—and lots of fish and bans on the shark fin trade, and with says. healthy coral,” he remembers. “And then Humane Society International, collabo- Adds Iris Ho, manager of HSI’s wildlife other islands, where it should have been rating on global shark policies. program: “It’s a momentum that keeps the same, only had juvenile sharks or “Sharks are beautiful. I love diving with building. We are definitely at the high hardly any sharks at all. And the reefs didn’t sharks—I have for decades,” says McGuire. point, but there’s still much to do. There are look as healthy. And so that kind of “Ever since I was a kid, I wouldn’t swim still countries that don’t have shark finning inspired the [questions].” away from sharks; I’d swim towards them. regulations. And there’s also more vulner- Eventually, talking to locals, he began to And they’re just beautiful, consummately able shark species that need protection.” get answers: Huge numbers of sharks were adapted, perfect predators. And it’s just a Among the critical victories: falling victim to the brutal practice known tragedy to kill them, just for a body part. It’s b For the first time in its 40-year histo- as finning—whereby fishermen haul a cruel. … It’s an incredible waste.” ry, the Convention on International Trade shark onboard, hack off his fins, and then An estimated 100 million sharks are in Endangered Species elected to regu- dump the mutilated animal back overboard killed each year, mostly for their fins, which late the trade in certain shark and manta

to drown, or starve, or be eaten by another are actually, unbelievably, tasteless in the ray species of high commercial value. That HO/HSI. IRIS COLE; BRANDON LEFT: FROM

30 allanimals // JAN / FEB 2014 means governments can issue permits to in shark conservation,” says U.S. Rep. export oceanic whitetip sharks, porbeagle Michael Grimm, R-N.Y. “The practice itself sharks, and three species of hammerhead of shark finning—it’s inhumane, it’s despi- sharks only when they determine such fish- cable, it’s harmful to the ocean’s ecosystem, ing would not be detrimental to the species’ and it’s unfair to U.S. fishermen. So I think survival. from every stakeholder involved, we should SHARKS: Declining b India instituted a requirement that fish- be appalled and doing everything we can to shark populations ermen land sharks with their fins still at- prevent this disgusting practice. can negatively impact the health of coral reefs, tached—a measure that not only addresses “I don’t get too excited over too many according to a study from the sheer cruelty of the practice but also, by things because I have a lot of issues on my the Australian Institute of Marine Science. virtue of the limited freezer space onboard plate. But I find this one particularly fishing vessels, will help slow the number offensive.” being killed. From 2000 to 2008, India Also urgent: continuing to curb con- caught an average 74,050 tons of sharks, sumption in China, the world’s largest rays, and skates each year; only Indonesia market for fins, where former basketball killed more. star Yao Ming has starred in powerful b New York—the country’s second-larg- public service announcements about the est market behind California—banned the soup. “Remember,” he says, after pushing SNAPPERS: possession, sale, trade, and distribution of his bowl away, “when the buying stops, the With fewer sharks around to eat them, shark fins. The HSUS helped pass similar killing can too.” In advance of Chinese New mid-level predatory legislation in Delaware and Maryland as Year celebrations this January, HSI encour- fish like snappers begin to flourish. well, for a total of eight states and three aged citizens to snap photos of themselves U.S. territories that have passed HSUS- with the “Fin-Free Chinese New Year” backed bans. slogan—photos that were then combined to b A growing fleet of airlines from coun- form a larger picture of a shark. The organi- tries such as Australia, Taiwan, Mexico, zation continues to reach out to high-end and South Korea have announced restric- restaurants and hotels, asking them to forgo tions or outright bans on shipping fins. shark fin dishes as well. b Hong Kong announced that it would no In August, a dozen cyclists biked longer serve shark fins at official functions. through Beijing decked out in shark cos- PARROT FISH: More and more mid-level predators (The Chinese government made a similar tumes, stopping at restaurants, collecting then begin to take a bite out announcement in 2012.) “No Shark Fin” pledges, and eventually of herbivore populations, such as parrot fish. b And on Capitol Hill, 73 federal law- meeting up with celebrities for a public makers signed a letter urging the National event. HSI has emphasized educational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration outreach by supporting such events—as not to preempt the country’s eight state well as youth groups like the one Jun Li bans—as the agency has suggested it will oversees in Shenzhen. do—when it implements the 2011 federal A college senior majoring in social work, finning ban. Li leads a group of 16. They rewrite popular “I really think the U.S. should be a leader children’s songs with lyrics about sharks, blog daily about their work, and come up with recipes for faux shark fin soup. Promoting their own cycling event on CORAL REEF: With fewer herbivores around, China’s microblogging site, Weibo, the algae can overgrow, robbing corals of group unexpectedly got the Chinese equiv- oxygen and potentially alent of a “retweet” when a famous restau- introducing harmful bacteria and diseases. rant owner sent their message to his 2.3 million followers. “We were all of a sudden deeply encour- aged by that!” Li would write later. “[We] never thought that someone ... that famous Dried shark fins for sale [would] take notice of us. Incredible!” in Beijing. Opposite: A scalloped hammer- One moment, one idea, one grave con- head swims near the cern—suddenly reaching millions. Galapagos Islands.

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