The first time I went to Panama, I visited a place called Puerto Mutis on the Pacific coast. In spite of being tiny, the port is one of the most important in the country where many local fishermen unload their daily catch. And, because there was no law regulating shark fisheries, shark fins were a common sight drying along the side of the highway by the hundreds or even thousands. Some of the fins from the baby sharks were so small, they looked like little potato chips curling in the sun. Nearby, local fishermen would count their dollars as they handed over more fins to be spread along the highway and sold to buyers for the Asian shark fin trade.

In addition to local fishermen, sharks in Panama are also hunted by industrial fleets with an exponentially greater impact on their numbers that the locals with their small boats and nets. No one knows how many sharks are taken in Panamanian waters each year, but anecdotal evidence from the local fishermen themselves points to dramatic disappearances of populations that have been there since anyone can remember.

Destined for shark fin soup, a cherished delicacy in some Asian countries, the shark fins I saw in Panama eventually ended up in someone’s plate, adding noodle-like consistency to the dish but little flavor. And those sharks weren’t alone. Sharks are fished all over the world, as many as 100 million a year, with tens of millions of that number sacrificed for their fins alone.

The practice of shark finning, barbaric by any definition, entails slicing off the fins of the shark and throwing the rest of the animal back overboard. All too often, this takes place when the animal is still alive and a slow and certainly painful death ensues. For those who are not moved by animal cruelty arguments, humanitarian ones apply in this case too. In a world where hunger and starvation are a terrible reality for an increasing number of people in developing countries, wasting valuable resources is unconscionable. And as if this weren’t enough, sharks are increasingly recognized for the crucial role they play in maintaining equilibrium of marine ecosystems. Removing these apex predators from the seas will have unforeseen repercussions that may include negative impacts on commercial fish stocks. Shark finning is a cruel and unnecessary practice and a waste of marine resources with dire consequences for the oceans.

To be continued…

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