How does SHARK TRUST reach these figures? Like the international shark protection initiative SHARKPROJECT, they refer to the study of scientist Shelley Clarke, published in 2006. She studied the trade of shark fins in Hong Kong for two years under the cover of writing her doctoral thesis on sharks. She gained the trust of shark traders, was allowed to take insight into protocols and was able to examine the fins. Her study told that most probably 3-4 times as many sharks are the FAO’s figures indicate are killed per year. That means that only a quarter or third of the sharks killed is even recorded or reported.
This would be about 2.4 million tons of shark meat per year. Additionally, the sharks caught grow smaller and smaller, so that an average of 12.5 instead of 15 kg is more realistic today. This results in exactly 200.000,000 sharks. Included in this figure is an estimated 26-73 million sharks dying only for finning. (The difference in numbers corresponds to the ratio of fin to body. Considering that most fins are dried before transport and therefore lose 90% of their weight, the 5% this calculation is based on no longer work anyway, so that the figures rise again. When all of these facts are taken together, we remain with the bitter insight that the figure of 200 million sharks killed is probably realistic. That would be 547,945 animals per day or 22,831 per hour. And whether or not the figure is right to the last digit, or whether they should be a bit higher or lower – we still have only a minute to midnight if we want to be able to rescue the shark.