Sharks: Dying for a Bowl of Soup
Every year, millions of sharks suffer painful deaths from the cruel and wasteful shark fin trade. Whether unintended "bycatch" by or caught specifically for their valuable fins, these animals have their fins removed and then—either dead or dying—are immediately cast back into
Sharks on the Shelf: Shark Products
Sharks are killed for many reasons: for sport, as targets of intensive commercial fisheries, and as accidental bycatch of fisheries that target other large fish such as swordfish and tuna. A variety of species of rays, which are related to sharks, are
Shark Biology Contributes to Population Decline and Fishery Collapses
Sharks are known as "K-selected" species, which means that they have a life history strategy featuring slow growth, delayed maturation, long gestation, and the production of few young. Many shark species grow only a few centimetres per year, reaching maturity at perhaps
Questions and Answers on Shark Finning
What is shark finning? The word “finning” refers to the act of cutting off a shark’s fins and throwing the rest of the often still-living animal back into the sea. The vast majority of finned sharks bleed to death, or become prey
Spay/Neuter
As human populations have increased, so have populations of our companion animals. In fact, communities around the globe now face a daunting challenge: overpopulation of humans' best friends. Whether in the markets of India, the mountains of Peru, or the fishing villages
Why the Canadian Government Supports the Commercial Seal Hunt
"Mr. Speaker, I would like to see the 6 million seals, or whatever number is out there, killed and sold, or destroyed and burned. I do not care what happens to them…the more they kill the better I will love it." -
The Plight of Chimpanzees in West Africa
Our closest relatives face many threats. © Veer At one time, Africa's chimpanzee population was believed to have been one million, but today, there are no more than 150,000 individuals left. Wild chimpanzees are already extinct in four of their former range
FAQs about CITES
What is CITES? The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ( CITES) is a treaty that governs the international trade in endangered plants and animals. Signing the treaty is voluntary; over 170 nations have signed and
Human Health Concerns of Whale Meat
Whales are particularly vulnerable to environmental contaminants, including organochlorines—such as polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and dioxin—and heavy metals, such as methylmercury. Each of these environmental contaminants tends to accumulate in the bodies of top predators, including sperm whales, orcas, pilot whales