Photo taken at Kennedy Town Wet Market (18Sept2017) by Gary ManwaringShark meat is popular in many parts of the world, and many sharks also die in fishing nets set for other fish. Sharks tend to be long-lived and relatively slow to reproduce, making them particularly vulnerable to overfishing.
Effective catch limits are few and far between, and the unsustainable fishing of sharks poses a threat to the survival of many shark species, some of which are now endangered.
Hong Kong is one of the largest consumers of shark fin worldwide, and plays a key role in driving overfishing for sharks across the world’s oceans. The current and future levels of demand for shark fins are likely to be far higher than can be met from sustainably managed fisheries.