Shark's fin soup cans in grocery store

Honiara,Solomon Islands, 2000

Every year, millions of sharks are slaughtered for their fins. Many are thrown back into the water still alive, where they sink to the bottom and suffocate. As a result, many shark populations have plummeted.

Luckily, some countries are now passing regulations requiring commercial fishing operations to harvest the entire fish, and not just remove the valuable fins. This will render the taking of sharks unprofitable and help save the slow-maturing species from extinction.