In China and other countries of East Asia, shark fin soup represents a special honor to guests on ceremonial occasions. This is a time-honored tradition, going back to the days when sharks were difficult to catch and consequently rare. In the days before refrigerators, shark fins could be dried and preserved for long periods of time. This convenience factor helped promote shark products among the general public. Now, due to a combination of advanced fishing methods, gigantic ocean-going fish factories, and sky-rocketing world-wide demand, shark numbers have reached a critical point of near extinction, and the recovery of some species is in serious doubt. Be aware that many of these photos are graphic and disturbing.
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Picture of a Caribbean reef shark, Carcharhinus perezi, with hook in its mouth, Walker's Cay, Bahamas, Atlantic
Picture #: 027046 |
Image of local and federal officals going through confiscated shark fins to determine DNA and type. Fins were confiscated and those trying to get them through Guam were convicted of trafficking, the first such US conviction.
Picture #: 095288 |
Stock photo of processed shark fins for sale as a soup ingredient in a traditional Chinese market, Hong Kong, China, Pacific Ocean; shark finning is one of the world's most destructive fisheries.
Picture #: 090126 |
Photo of dead shark at shark finning camp, Mexico, Pacific Ocean
Picture #: 081930 |
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Picture of shark fin soup display
Picture #: 074679 |
Image of of dead finned hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini, on ocean floor, Mexico, Pacific Ocean
Picture #: 081929 |
Stock photo of dead lemon shark, Negaprion brevirostris, caught on longline, Bahamas, Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean
Picture #: 012504 |
Photo of shark cartilage pills on display
Picture #: 003476 |
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Picture of a spinner shark, Carcharhinus brevipinna, caught by hunters and partially filleted, at Steson Bank off Texas coast, Gulf of Mexico.
Picture #: 076452 |
Image of shark dorsal fins cut from various species in the shark finning panga fishery in the Gulf of California, Sea of Cortez, Mexico.
Picture #: 027880 |
Stock photo of man cutting fin off a Mako shark, Isurus oxyrinchus, Sea of Cortez, Mexico
Picture #: 081964 |
Photo of dried shark fins for sale in traditional chinese medicine store, Hong Kong, China
Picture #: 086206 |
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Picture of fishermen dragging a tiger shark,Galeocerdo cuvier, prior to being finned. Dried shark fins are worth $30 per pound. Kona, Hawaii, Central Pacific Ocean
Picture #: 043890 |
Image of a dead gray reef shark, Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos, with its fins removed, the byproduct of the Asian shark fin soup market, Pacific
Picture #: 076873 |
Stock photo of Caribbean reef shark, Carcharinus perezi, with fish hook in mouth, Bahamas, West Atlantic
Picture #: 030275 |
Photo of man finning a shark, Mexico, Pacific Ocean
Picture #: 081925 |
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Picture of shark fins drying in the sun, at a market, Mexico, Pacific
Picture #: 076755 |
Image of dead sharks lying on a beach at a shark finning camp, Sea of Cortez, Mexico
Picture #: 081920 |
Stock photo of man cutting fin off a Mako shark, Isurus oxyrinchus, Sea of Cortez, Mexico
Picture #: 081887 |
Photo of local and federal officals going through confiscated shark fins to determine DNA and type. Fins were confiscated and those trying to get them through Guam were convicted of trafficking, the first such US conviction.
Picture #: 095286 |
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