Pushing for a Total Ban on Sharkfinning in Indonesia

The World Wildlife Fund says Indonesia is the world’s largest exporter of shark fins.  Up to 150 thousand sharks are killed each year for their fins, which are then sold in Hong Kong and China.

As a result, many shark species have suffered severe declines.

The Indonesian World Wildlife Fund recently launched an SOS Shark campaign to push for a total ban on sharkfinning. The event was held to mark Coral Triangle Day, with activists wearing shark costumes during the rally.

Young actor Ringgo Agus Rahman participated in the event.

“I love sharks. Do you love sharks? Or are you afraid of them? Vicious sharks are only in movies... like in “Jaws” or “Deep Blue Sea”. But the probability of being killed by a shark is 1 in 300 million. More people die in road accidents, from malaria, are bitten by dogs or struck by lighting. So you can decide, never eat sharks in any form.”

But shark fin soup is still one of the most popular items on the menu in this Chinese restaurant in Jakarta. It’s considered a luxury – served on special occassions such as Chinese weddings and banquets.

Restaurant owner Patricia Koh says there’s a high demand for them.

“It depends on the portion and size. But the cheapest will be 70 US dollars. And the most expensive one is 200 US dollar per portion.”

The head of the Indonesian WWF, Efransjah, explains how the fins end up in the soup bowl....

“The shark is caught alive from the ocean, the fins are cut off and the torso is thrown back into the ocean,” he says.

“Shark fins are like the wings of an aeroplane... sharks need them to swim up and down. When the fins are cut off, sharks can’t swim up to get oxygen and they eventually die. Without their fin, they can only roll around... they’re helpless and they’ll be eaten by other fish.”

Three years ago, under pressure from environmental groups, the government in Hong Kong and mainland China stopped serving shark fins at official banquets. And last year, an online petition with more than 2,000 supporters succesfully forced the management of Jakarta’s international airport to stop selling sharkfin soup in their restaurants.

But the government isn’t considering a total ban on sharkfinning. Toni Ruchimat is the Director of Conservation of Fish Species at the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries.

“We can’t apply a total ban because fishermen still depend on it. And they’re part of the lowest income group in Indonesia. We consume it only for personal needs... they only sell it for their personal needs.”

But WWF data shows the contrary is true. The appetite for the fins and other shark-related products has led to a decline of up to 70 percent in some shark species, says Ahmad Hafizh from WWF.

“According to our data, in the past 10 years, there were 15 endangered shark species. And now there are 180 shark species which are endangered. That’s a 12-fold increase just within 20 years.”

But things are slowly changing... In March this year, five more species were added to the international convention, ensuring they’re not threatened by overfishing and trade. This means the trading of 8 shark species is no longer possible without official documentation.

And a recent study by US researchers found that sharkfin soup is actually bad for your health.

As health practitioner Erikar Lebang explains, shark fins contain high levels of toxin that can lead to degenerative brain diseases.

“Sharks are the top marine predators. Within the food chain, sharks are at the highest level. This means sharks eat all the smaller fish and most of these fish contain mercury. So when people eat sharks, they’re consuming the mercury as well.”

It is hoped that this will make people think twice before eating sharkfin soup.