Sharks in Decline The practice of shark finning has been widely
criticized as wasteful by conservationists and brutal by animal
rights activists. International fishing fleets targeting sharks
specifically for their fins tow miles of hook-covered lines,
catching thousands of sharks and other marine life in what is
known as long-line fishing. The sharks are then hoisted aboard,
where workers slice the fins from live animals before tossing
the fin-less bodies back into the ocean to die. Because shark
fins command $70 per kilo while shark meat yields only about
$.50 per kilo, it has not made economic sense for ships to fill
valuable hold space with a commodity worth so little. A single
expedition can yield millions of dollars in profits when only
fins are kept and shipped to market. The potential for huge
short-term profits has led many governments throughout the world
to relax existing fisheries laws or simply turn a blind eye to
shark finning. In 2004, Costa Rica was the world’s third largest
exporter of shark