At least four times as many sharks are killed for their fins as are reported in official figures.
From inventories of shark-fin sales at auctions in Hong Kong, researchers from the University of Hawaii and elsewhere estimate that the numbers of sharks caught around the world are far higher than the figures published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. “It is not a question of blaming the FAO,” says Shelley Clarke, who led the investigation. “But it highlights the scepticism we should have about fisheries data,” she adds.
Clarke’s team collected auction inventories from leading Hong Kong fin markets between October 1999 and March 2001.…
