Jim Zhang is the Greater China and Northeast Asia Managing Director for The Nature Conservancy.

The Chinese government recently passed what is possibly the most important action regarding the future of sharks on our planet. On June 18, 2012, China’s State Council announced the ban on consuming shark fins at official government related banquets.

Somewhere between 70 and 100 million sharks are killed every year solely for the sale of shark fins. This global massacre of sharks has already caused severe damage to the global marine environment and has sent shark numbers plummeting. China (including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan) makes up over 95% of global shark fin consumption. China consumes 16,000 tons of shark fins annually, while government related meals make up 60-70% of that figure.

Shark fin has long been considered a delicacy in Chinese culture, enjoyed by society’s elite and espoused for nutritional content – though we now know it no more nutritious than poultry or eggs. For many years, its high price ($100 – $600 per pound) kept consumption of shark fin low enough for there to be minimal damage to world shark populations. But many blame the drastic decline in global shark populations ...

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