‘Catastrophic’ loss of sharks in the South China Sea...

A new study highlights a shocking discovery in the South China Sea: over 83% of the shark species formerly known to occur there are gone. Southern China’s shark diversity has plummeted from 109 known species to a feared 18 remaining. The study’s researchers suggest that “the degree of decline should be considered catastrophic.”

Hong Kong is widely known as the biggest consumer of shark fins, and handles somewhere between 50-80% of the world’s shark fin trade. However, if you’ve been following recent developments with regard to the trade, you know that the vast majority of these fins are coming from places far away from China. The IUCN Shark Specialist Group reports that shark fin imports dominating the Hong Kong market come from Europe, Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates (UAE), USA, Yemen, India, Japan, and Mexico. More + images...

See also: This is what you don't see when you have shark's fin soup...

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