A major conservation survey assessed 64 species of open ocean sharks and rays and found that one third of them face extinction, including the great white shark. The study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reported that species hunted on the high seas are particularly at great risk, with over half in danger of extinction. The IUNC named tuna and swordfish fisheries as the main culprits for their accidental ‘by-catch of sharks. Sharks are also being increasingly targeted themselves to supply growing demand for shark meat and fins. The valuable fins are used for the Asian delicacy of shark fin soup, which is believed to offer great health benefits. As a lucrative sideline, the fisheries often take part in ‘finning whereby they cut off the fins and return the rest of the body to the sea. The Spanish fleet of surface ‘long-line’ fishing boats supposedly only seeks swordfish, but open ocean sharks accounted for 70% of the weight of its catch from 2000 to 2004. Though there are bans being introduced in the majority of international waters, they are rarely enforced, according to deputy chairwoman Sonja Fordham of the IUCN shark […]