Like many dishes in traditional cultures, shark fin soup has long been served as a symbol of class and prosperity. Chinese culture can date this tradition back to the early Sung Dynasty. Shark fin soup is usually served at weddings and other special occasions of wealthy individuals. One would actually be looked down upon if this was not served. This meal costs roughly around one hundred dollars a bowl. It is only surpassed in price by such delicacies as truffles and caviar. But due to the vitality of the Chinese economy and the popularity of Chinese culture, this soup has become more common over the past decade or so. Even to the point it is now served on buffets. Many people do not know the issues behind the kitchen though. Illegal shark fishing, overfishing, destruction of ecosystem biodiversity, and a species near extinction, just to name a few. .
Shark finning is the illegal practice of catching a shark, cutting off the fins of the animal and discarding the carcass back into the ocean. Most of the time the shark is still alive at this point and will drift helplessly to the bottom of the ocean floor to die. These sharks either starve to death, are eaten by other marine life or they ultimately drown. Sharks have to be in constant motion to continue breathing. Water must pass across their gills so that they can extract the water from it. Without fins they cannot swim. If the shark cannot swim, the shark will suffocate.
Sharks are considered an apex predator. This can also be known as keystone species. Apex predators are adult predators that have no natural predators in its ecosystem. These type of animals are responsible for keeping their ecosystem in check. Sharks play a vital role in their ecosystem. They are responsible for keeping food webs and prey populations in balance as well as keeping grass beds healthy. Oceans provide 1/3 of our world with food, produces more oxygen than all the rainforests combined, removes half of the atmosphere's manmade carbon dioxide gases, and controls our planet's temperature and weather.
