I am deeply repulsed and appalled by the fact that sharks, a species already on the brink of extinction, are still subjected to the needless cruelty and savagery that is finning.

This horrendous practice involves the tearing off of the fins of live sharks, only to leave them to slowly die a slow agonizing death, alone and scared, in the ocean. This cruelty lies not just in the horrific act itself, but in the complete disregard for the life of the creature it brutally victimizes.

According to the Shark Research Institute, approximately 70 to 100 million sharks are killed each year for their fins just so they can be made into soup – a soup that has essentially no nutritional value – that's often wasted at banquets and restaurants for the sole purpose of flaunting wealth and status. This extremely wasteful and unsustainable practice only stands to devastate our marine ecosystem and drive these beautiful and magnificent creatures closer to extinction. Already, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a quarter of all global shark species are threatened with extinction, largely due to overfishing and finning (Sources: Shark Research Institute/Sharks.org; IUCN Red List).

Profit is not a justification for barbarity, let alone the potential collapse of an entire species and the greater ecosystem. We urge lawmakers to impose stricter regulations and heavier penalties to deter and prevent such monstrous and unnecessary acts of cruelty and torture.

Join us in our urgent mission to protect sharks, and by extension our planet’s oceans, from this atrocity. Please, sign this petition. Let your voice be a beacon of hope for these beautiful creatures.

Facts:

• 70 to 100 million sharks are victims of finning each year
• Almost 60% of sharks are threatened by finning
• Each serving of shark fin soup costs up to $100
• Shark fin has neither taste nor nutritional value