Millions of Dollars Worth of Shark Fins Are Coming in and Out of Singapore – Act Now to Save Sharks!

With the wildly popular “Shark Week” upon us, there is no better time to focus on the plight of the world’s sharks. Many programs that feature sharks often depict them as strong, powerful monsters to be feared for deadly attacks – but did you know that there were only four human deaths caused by sharks last year … in the entire world? Compare this number to the staggering 100 million sharks killed last year by humans, and it is clear who the real enemy to be feared is.

In the hour it takes to watch a typical “Shark Week” program, 11,000 sharks will be killed by humans. What is driving this perpetual mass hunt? The demand for shark fins. A petition on Care2 explains that shark fins, like rhino horns, elephant skin, and bear bile, are used in some practices of Asian medicine, and are also consumed as a delicacy, most notoriously for the now-infamous shark fin soup, which rings in at a hefty price of upwards of 100 dollars a bowl.

According to the petition, Singapore is the second largest contributor to the shark fin trade after Hong Kong. From 2012-13, Singapore reportedly imported $51 million and exported $40 million worth of shark fins. With numbers like these, the oceans’ shark populations are dwindling, with 25 percent of shark species being classified as endangered and nearing extinction.

The world cannot survive without sharks, because, as the petition explains, sharks are apex predators who help regulate healthy fish populations and are essential to the biodiversity of the oceans and planet as a whole.

If you would like to see an end to this cruel trade, please take a moment to sign this petition addressed to Singapore’s President, Tony Tan, demanding an end to shark hunts and the brutal shark fin trade.

Please share this with your network to gain further Support for sharks!

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