Shark Finning

Have you ever thought about how it would feel if you were to get your arm or leg cut off and left, making you unable to move? Probably not. That kind of action isn't something you'd expect, and it would definitely not be legal. So why is it legal to do it to sharks? I'm talking about shark finning. For those of you who aren't quite sure what shark finning is, it's the act of cutting off the fins of a shark, often still alive, for the purpose of making soup. China and New Zealand are two examples of places known for making shark fin soup. Not only do people cut off the fins of live sharks, but they also throw these immobile sharks back into the ocean to die. The video above provides an example of what shark finning is like. The young tiger shark was secretly videotaped while being tortured to death. Literally.

Each year 72,000,000 sharks are killed. That's millions. However, sharks are not the only animal affected by the actions of these cruel people. Each year, thousands of sea turtles and whales are also killed due to the traps set to capture the sharks. Is shark fin soup really that delicious? Is it really worth killing millions of marine animals a year, just for a few minutes of pleasure while eating the soup? Here's something to think about. Elephant tusking is illegal, but at least the elephants are killed first. They don't have to suffer while painfully dying. What makes a shark less important than an elephant? As you can tell, I am very against shark finning. Most people would be. What do you think is going through a person's mind as they cut off each fin of a shark? What are your thoughts on shark finning? Should it, like elephant tusking, also be illegal?