Shark Fisheries Management and the Sustainable Seafood Movement: A Possibility for Sustainable Shark-fin Soup?

Shark populations worldwide are being fished at an unsustainable rate. This fishing pressure is only expected to increase as the demand for shark-fin soup in Asia increases with China’s growing affluence. A corresponding increase in the incidence of finnings is also expected. Current regulations that are in place for shark management at the international, regional and national levels are usually ineffective due to problems associated with international treaties and enforcement in many parts of the world. Thus, the market demand for shark-fin soup needs to be addressed as well. While there have been campaigns in Asia that have aimed to reduce market demand by urging consumers to stop eating shark-fin soup, little has been done to explore the possibility of creating a market for a new product – sustainable shark-fin soup. This project will further explore this option by drawing insights from the sustainable seafood movement that has taken root in the UK and US, and recommend goals to work towards to create and introduce sustainable shark-fin soup to Asia.