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There are 14 shark species that are prevalent in the shark finning trade that are all threatened with extinction.
* Blue Shark has declined in the Central Pacific by 87%, and in the Northwest Atlantic by 60%.
* Great Hammerhead Shark populations have declined 79% in South Africa, 80% in Eastern Atlantic, 90% in the US Atlantic, and completely collapsed in West Africa.
* Scalloped Hammerhead Shark have declined 62% in Mexico, 64% in South Africa, 98% in Northwest Atlantic, 99% in Mexico and completely collapsed in Belize.
* Smooth Hammerhead have declined by 99% in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean.
* Silky Shark have declined by 60% in Costa Rica, worldwide by 63%
*Oceanic Whitetip Shark have declined by 70% in the northwest and Central Atlantic, and 99% in the Gulf of Mexico.
*Common Thresher Shark have declined from 50 - 80% in the NW and Atlantic Oceans, 60-75% in the NE Atlantic, and 70% in the Eastern Central Pacific.
*Pelagic Thresher Shark have declined from 50-80% in the NW and Central Atlantic.
*Bigeye Thresher Shark have declined by 83% in the Eastern Central Pacific.
*Sandbar Shark have declined by 65% in Australia, 84-87% in the NW Atlantic, 85-90% in the South US Atlantic, by 97% in the NW Pacific.
*Shortfin Make Shark have declined by 48% in the NW Atlantic, 99% in the Mediterranean Sea, and 99% in the Adriatic Sea.
*Bull Shark have declined by 99% in the NW Atlantic, and 98.6-99.9% in Lake Pontchartrain.
*Dusky Shark have declined by 62-92% in the NW and West Central Atlantic, 79% in SW Australia, and 79% in the Gulf of Mexico.
*Tiger Shark have declined by 65% around the United States, >97% in the NW Atlantic.

As you can see by the above statistics, the declines in the shark population are catastrophic.

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An estimated 100 million sharks are killed each year, 73 million killed for their fins to be used in shark fin soup. Primarily to supply the market in mainland China.  An estimated 32% of open ocean sharks are threatened with extinction.  If sharks became extinct, there would be ecological repercussions, such as small animal extinction, algae overgrowth and coral reef death. Sharks are a crucial part of the marine ecosystem and are necessary for the world's oceans to operate.

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MLA

Shark Fin Soup Discovery Channel, 2012. Video Segment
Discovery Education. Web. 2/1/2017. http://www.discoveryeducation.com.

APA

Discovery Channel, (2012). Shark Fin Soup. [Video Segment]. Available from http://www.discoveryeducation.com

Chicago Manual of Style

Discovery Channel. Shark Fin Soup. Video Segment. 2012. http://www.discoveryeducation.com (accessed ).

http://www.stopsharkfinning.net/what-is-shark-finning/

http://www.wildaid.org/sharks

http://www.sharksavers.org/en/education/sharks-are-in-trouble/the-impact-of-the-shark-fin-trade/

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Hawaii became a luctative center for shark fin trade.  In 2010 Hawaii passed a bill making it illegal to possess shark's fins in Hawaii. A victory for shark conservation.

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A shark has to be constantly be swimming to survive.  Sharks are in constant motion in order for water to pass water through their gills so that the gills can extract oxygen from the water. Without fins to help it swim, sharks will drown. In shark finning, the sharks are captured at sea and brought onto the deck of ships. While they are still alive, their fins are sliced off, then they are tossed back into the sea to die a slow death either by drowning or by being eaten by other fish. The fins are then sold on the black market for as much as $880 USD per pound.

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Would you pay $100 for a bowl of soup that is considered a delicacy in Eastern countries? This soup is so  impressive that it is often served at weddings and other important celebrations to show the affluence of the host and to impress the guests.  This soups is quite delicious as well, or so they say. Now, what if I told you that the main ingredient of this soup is shark fin? A lot of people eat fish soup, so what is the big deal? The big deal is that only the shark fin is harvested. The rest of the living shark is tossed back into the ocean to die a slow death. Fisherman are only interested in the fins because the meat is of low value and takes up too much space to store. Ironically, shark fin has no flavor. It only serves to provide a gelatinous bulk to the soup which is flavored with chicken broth or other stock.