Consumption of shark fin has declined by more than one-third in Thailand since 2017, according to a new report from wildlife advocacy group WildAid. But with more than half of urban Thai citizens reporting they still plan to eat shark in the future, demand remains high. “Thais are becoming more aware of the importance of sharks to the ocean,” Petch Manopawitr, a conservation scientist and Thailand program adviser at WildAid, said in a statement. “[However], not only does the demand for shark fin persist, but sharks are becoming more commonly used in pet food and snacks as well.” The report, based on interviews with 1,007 urban-dwelling members of the Thai public, looks at changes in shark-fin consumption patterns in Thailand between 2017 and 2023. The surveys also gauged people’s opinions of sharks and products derived from them. According to the findings, the number of city-based shark-fin consumers in Thailand has dropped from around 6.6 million to roughly 5.3 million citizens over the past 7 years, reflecting a 34% decrease in the number of servings of shark fin soup, a status symbol dish, consumed per year. Most people who eat shark do so at social gatherings, such as family gatherings and weddings, the study found. A hammerhead shark caught in a fishing net. Image by Toby Matthews/Ocean Image Bank. As the ocean’s top predators, sharks play a vital role in maintaining balance within the food chain. Yet despite their crucial importance, shark numbers have been decimated by overfishing, bycatch and consumer…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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