Shark jaws, such as this one, can fetch substantial sums on the international market.

Unfortunately for sharks, it’s not just their value as food that is threatening their survival. A huge industry is developing around the use of shark products as a way of improving or maintaining human health, despite the lack of good scientific evidence to support it.

Oil extracted from the livers of sharks is becoming increasingly popular as a booster for the immune system and even as a way of preventing cancer, thanks to an erroneous belief that sharks don’t suffer from cancerous tumours. Shark cartilage is harvested for the same reason.

Shark products are often seen for sale in tourist shops in seaside areas, despite the fact that in many countries it is illegal to catch sharks. The teeth and jaws of the great white shark can fetch substantial sums on the international market, with single teeth often selling for over $100 and a whole set of jaws from a big shark fetching up to $10,000 in the USA. Illegal smuggling of teeth and jaws from white sharks is becoming increasingly common in countries such as South Africa, where sharks are legally protected.