Shark+Finning+(+second+page.)

**[[image:sharkfinning.jpg]][[image:shark_finning.jpg]] Humans kill 100 million sharks a year ...and for what?**
//shark fins for a tasteless bowl of Shark fin soup.// //shark teeth// for jewelry //shark jaws// for tourist souvenirs //shark skin// for leather wallets/belts //shark cartilage// capsules and powders for phony medicinal cures //shark liver oil for cosmetics/skin care products.//

** What Are These Longlines Doing to the Sharks? **
Longlines are the most significant factor in the rapid diminishment of shark populations in the oceans. Longlines ranging from one mile in length to over one hundred miles in length are baited with fish, (often illegally killed dolphins or seals), and are meant to target shark, swordfish, and tuna. The sharks targeted are caught mostly for their fins (which account for only 4% of their body weight) and also for their cartilage, liver oil, and teeth. The longline fishermen remove the fins and toss the still living shark back into the sea to die an agonizing death. Unable to swim, they slowly sink towards the bottom where other fish eat them alive. If longlines are not abolished, the oceans will lose most species of sharks within the next decade.