Hundreds of shark fins drying out at a fin farm.

Finning is a terribly destructive practice that involves catching a shark, cutting off its fins and discarding the rest of the animal, which is often thrown back into the water to die.

As many as 100 million sharks die in this way every year, causing immense damage to shark populations. Shark fins are considered a delicacy in some parts of the world, notably East Asia. A bowl of shark’s fin soup can fetch as much as $100, making sharks highly profitable for fishermen and the demand for them is rising as the Asian population grows.

Some countries, notably the USA, have banned shark finning in the last few years, but such bans are difficult to enforce elsewhere, especially as sharks regularly migrate across international boundaries. Finning is still practised all over the world, in places as far apart as South America and Australia, and many species are declining as a result. Blue sharks in particular are at great risk, and some authorities estimate that 90% of fins are gathered from this one species alone.