The following message is from the Humane Society International (Canada):
The continuing practice of shark finning, which is the practice of removing the fins and discarding the remainder of the alive shark back into the sea and leaving it to die, is having a devastating effect on shark species around the world. The global shark fin trade is unsustainable and cruel. Tens of millions of sharks (estimated to be higher than 73 million per year) are mutilated and left to die year after year to feed the demand for shark fin soup. We must do something to put a stop to this brutal trade because sharks play a critical role in maintaining healthy, balanced ecosystems that humans depend on.