Shark Finning Culture and Management Shark finning, the act of removing a shark's fins and discarding the carcass, is arguably the greatest threat to shark finning. shark populations around the world. Every year, between 73 and 100 million sharks are killed to prepare a traditional Chinese dish called shark fin soup (Jefferies, 2012). Although most countries have laws to regulate shark finning, the immense demand for shark fins has created an international black market. China's large population, combined with its recent economic boom, has made the shark fin industry increasingly unsustainable (Clarke, Harley, Hoyle, & Rice, 2013). Sharks are particularly vulnerable to overfishing because they only reach sexual maturity later in their lives, meaning many sharks are killed before they can contribute to the next generation. While shark conservation is here to stay, Fabinyi and Liu (2014) argue that the best way to make long-term change is to educate the Chinese people about the environmental dangers of shark finning. They found that most people were not concerned about the sustainability of their fisheries, but perhaps a consumer awareness campaign could spark some interest in shark conservation. Attention should also be drawn to the fact that shark fins do not have the health benefits that the Chinese think they have (Jefferies, 2012). The United States Food and Drug Administration has classified shark as one of the foods most contaminated with methylmercury. Methylmercury is a toxin commonly found in seafood that is linked to male infertility and can negatively affect fetal development. The toxins enter the food chain from the bottom and accumulate as they reach the top, where the sharks reside. This means that people who consume large quantities of shark and other potentially contaminated seafood are increasing their health risk