Fins, just like shark meat, can be Full of Toxins

The harvesting of fins is often justified as a by-product of the shark meat fishery. What doesn’t get emphasized enough is that it is actually a fishery that produces meat that is, in many cases, toxic to humans and often falsely marketed to the public as something other than shark meat. You can read more about how shark products are falsely marketed in our Shark Free Products campaign.

Sharks can be toxic to consume because they are apex marine predators. They are at the top of the food chain and everything that they consume below their trophic level accumulates and builds up over time in their meat and tissues. The toxins that are in the marine environment bioaccumulate in sharks. If humans consume shark meat or fins, they take on these high levels of toxins and they similarly accumulate in our bodies. 

This means that shark meat and fins can be loaded with metals, mercury, and other toxins (depending on the region and what is being dumped into the ocean). A study conducted from 2010-2013 showed that 69 sharks caught off the coast of SW Florida all had high concentrations of mercury in their muscle tissues. The content of mercury ranged in concentration among species from 0.19 mg/kg in tiger sharks to 4.52 mg/kg in blacktip sharks. Hammerschlag et al. (2016) examined the fin and muscle tissue in 10 shark species in the Atlantic and Pacific looking for both BMAA and mercury. BMAA is a toxin linked to neurodegenerative diseases, including but not limited to ALS and Alzheimer’s. They found both toxins in shark meat and fins in high levels, along with the fact that in combination they are even more detrimental to human health than found separately.

The first Florida health advisory was in 1991 after finding 3.9 mg/kg shark meat sold in local markets. The following year, even higher levels were found. Matulik et al. (2016) found that mercury levels in shark muscle tissues were far above consumable levels in Florida blacknose, blacktip, bull, and lemon sharks. Currently, the Florida Department of Health (EPA and FDA) advises women of childbearing age and children to not eat shark meat at all.  Additionally, everyone else should limit consumption to small sharks (less than 43 inches) to once a month, and not eat larger sharks at all. Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch says to avoid sharks. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) says only 2 fisheries worldwide are MSC certified and no Florida shark species are sustainable. 

Despite the extensive research evidence of shark products being toxic to human health, most fisheries commissions and state agencies still allow for the fishing of shark species with no size rules. (For example - The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission limits catches of only about half of these species to a minimum size of 54 inches). They are essentially promoting only catching and selling of large sharks, which are exactly the ones that would be the most toxic. It is still unknown why some shark species are commercially targeted, when their meat is considered of such low quality.  

There is an argument that shark fins are the “byproduct” after catching a shark for its meat in order to “fully utilize” the shark. However, there is clear proof that not only is the meat extremely toxic for us, but it is also sold as extremely low grade and low value meat. Therefore, it is clear that these fisheries are targeting the shark fins due to their high price in the shark fin trade. Think about it this way, when you were younger and had to eat a school lunch where you aren’t even sure what the “mystery meat” of the day is at the cafeteria. Who really knows if it could be shark meat?! Well, this seems to have been the case in at least one local Florida school where parents discovered the mystery fish their kids were being serves was shark. It’s time to let the research speak for itself and make it clear that shark meat and fins should not be consumed by humans.