But in Hawaii, they are the prey of commercial fishermen, who engage in the controversial practice of finning. They cut the fins off, then throw the carcass back in the water. The stringy tendrils from the dorsal, pectoral and lower tail fins of sharks are prized as the namesake ingredient of oriental shark-fin soup. Long-line fishing boats lay out miles of baited hooks for tuna and other food fish. They unavoidably catch sharks in the process.
Fishermen say there is little market for most shark meat, which is heavy in uric acid.
You pay some bills. Sharks are potentially susceptible to the dangers of overfishing But a shark without fins can't survive, and opponents of finning want the practice banned as wasteful and cruel. Some experts also wonder if too many sharks are being taken and are pushing for laws to ban finning. Because the fins are sold informally at a dockside cash market, it's difficult to track how many sharks are being killed. The National Marine Fisheries says it has no firm numbers, and fishermen say the number is small.