Each year, approximately 100 million sharks die at the hands of humans, with at least half of that number targeted in fisheries, and the remainder perishing as bycatch. This is happening at a much faster rate than sharks can repopulate. Sharks mature slowly, have slow reproductive rates, and produce few offspring—all of which make them highly vulnerable to extinction. In 2020, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) completed its latest assessment of the status of chondrichthyans (a class that includes sharks, rays, skates, and chimaeras). The IUCN estimated that 37.5 percent of the 1,199 species assessed were threatened with extinction.
Overfishing is the universal threat affecting all of these species. Sharks are apex predators in many ecosystems, and their disappearance is causing dangerous ecological imbalances worldwide. Without sharks, the health and productivity of our oceans—and dependent livelihoods and economies—are at risk.
Bycatch
Shark bycatch, which occurs when sharks are unintentionally caught in fishing gear targeting species such as tuna and swordfish, poses a major threat to shark populations on a global scale. Bycatch typically occurs due to destructive and indiscriminate use of commercial fishing gear such as longlines, gillnets, and trawls. Because it often results in severe injuries or death even when sharks are discarded, bycatch is contributing significantly to the global decline in shark populations.
Reducing shark bycatch requires stronger fisheries management, improved bycatch mitigation measures—such as circle hooks, bycatch reduction devices, and time-area closures—and increased enforcement of regulations. Addressing this crisis is essential to protecting shark populations and maintaining the health of marine ecosystems around the world.
Targeted shark fishing
According to the IUCN, the top five shark-fishing nations are Indonesia, Spain, India, Mexico, and the United States, with the top three (Indonesia, Spain, and India) accounting for 35% of the world’s annual total reported shark catch. Despite the worldwide decline in shark populations, many shark-fishing nations have weak, incomplete, or poorly enforced laws in place to manage shark fisheries.
A number of countries that engage in shark fishing have enacted legislation banning the practice of shark finning (see below).
Shark finning
Shark populations have declined due in part to demand for shark fin soup, a popular (and pricey) dish in some East Asian societies. It is traditionally served at banquets and on special occasions such as weddings. Because fins are the most valuable shark part in global trade, fishers often take only the fins and leave the rest of the body behind—an extremely wasteful practice known as “shark finning” that is also incredibly cruel: Typically, sharks are brought aboard fishing vessels to have their fins sliced off while they are still conscious. They are then thrown back into the sea to bleed to death, suffocate (because they can no longer swim and move water over their gills), or be eaten by other animals.
Demand for shark fin soup, dumplings, and other shark fin dishes served in restaurants around the world perpetuates the practice of finning. China is the world’s largest consumer of shark fins.
Shark meat, cartilage, and liver oil
While shark fins (which are primarily cartilage) are the most lucrative shark body part in trade, shark populations have faced steep declines due to years of exploitation for their skin, meat, liver oil, and cartilage (from fins and other body parts), with the latter two substances widely used by the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmetic industries. According to the FAO, global trade in shark products amounts to nearly $1 billion per year.