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Description
My penultimate endangered shark for Shark Week is also arguably one of the most iconic, the scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini). Hammerheads are famous for their bizarre-shaped heads, useful in sensing and uncovering prey in the seabed, as well as allowing them to have great depth perception for sharks. This particular hammerhead species is famous for travelling in huge schools numbering in the hundreds. Unfortunately, these schools are under threat, as the scalloped hammerhead is one of the prime targets for the shark fin soup industry. Last year, a Chinese fishing vessel found operating in waters off the Galápagos, a popular schooling site for hammerheads, had the definned corpses of over 800 of these sharks on board. Their populations are believed to have dropped by over 95% in the past 30 years.

This one broke my heart. Ever since I was a little kid I’ve grown up with the image of vast shoals of hammerheads patrolling the ocean, minding their own business. And now I know that those beautiful mass gatherings are in danger of being lost forever. That this shark, that has been on Earth for over 10 million years could be wiped out. All because of the barbaric practice of shark finning.

Shark finning is an inherently cruel and wasteful process. The sharks are dragged aboard, have all their fins sliced off while they’re still alive, and then get thrown back into the sea where they either bleed to death or drown. It’s a brutal and undignified way to die, and it happens to over 100 million sharks every year. All because of a soup that the shark fin doesn’t even add any flavour to, just texture and bragging rights. Millions of sharks slaughtered just for a fancy broth. This evil practice needs to be stopped, and soon, or species like the scalloped hammerhead and the oceanic whitetip and all the other targeted sharks will disappear from the oceans. Forever.

Description
My penultimate endangered shark for Shark Week is also arguably one of the most iconic, the scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini). Hammerheads are famous for their bizarre-shaped heads, useful in sensing and uncovering prey in the seabed, as well as allowing them to have great depth perception for sharks. This particular hammerhead species is famous for travelling in huge schools numbering in the hundreds. Unfortunately, these schools are under threat, as the scalloped hammerhead is one of the prime targets for the shark fin soup industry. Last year, a Chinese fishing vessel found operating in waters off the Galápagos, a popular schooling site for hammerheads, had the definned corpses of over 800 of these sharks on board. Their populations are believed to have dropped by over 95% in the past 30 years.

This one broke my heart. Ever since I was a little kid I’ve grown up with the image of vast shoals of hammerheads patrolling the ocean, minding their own business. And now I know that those beautiful mass gatherings are in danger of being lost forever. That this shark, that has been on Earth for over 10 million years could be wiped out. All because of the barbaric practice of shark finning.

Shark finning is an inherently cruel and wasteful process. The sharks are dragged aboard, have all their fins sliced off while they’re still alive, and then get thrown back into the sea where they either bleed to death or drown. It’s a brutal and undignified way to die, and it happens to over 100 million sharks every year. All because of a soup that the shark fin doesn’t even add any flavour to, just texture and bragging rights. Millions of sharks slaughtered just for a fancy broth. This evil practice needs to be stopped, and soon, or species like the scalloped hammerhead and the oceanic whitetip and all the other targeted sharks will disappear from the oceans. Forever.