Where Did Shark Finning Begin?
According to legend, Shark Finning began in China during the Sung Dynasty in AD 968. The emperor who reigned during the Sung Dynasty wanted to show his power, wealth, and generosity to guests who attended his banquets.
Because sharks are considered to be powerful animals, a person was considered to be powerful by showing they could take their fins. Usually, only the rich people could afford pay someone to catch and kill the shark. Also, when they served shark fin soup it showed their generosity to people. Our Oceans Before Shark Finning
It's hard to say what the oceans were like before Shark Finning became common. We do know that in the last 30 years some species of shark have decreased by 60-70%. I think that because the human population was much lower when Shark Finning began, and demand for fins were far lower than they are now, that the shark population could handle the number of sharks taken for the soup.
Today an estimated 88-200 million sharks are taken for their fins each year. If this rate of killing continues some believe that many species of sharks will be completely extinct in 20 years. Early Economic of Shark Finning
Demand for shark fins was low because only the wealthy could afford the high cost of the fins. The demand was also only in China which helped to keep the number taken lower. Technology also affected the rate that the sharks could be taken. Chinese sailors had limited ships and means of catching sharks for Finning.
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