Think Twice Before Ordering Shark Meat At A Restaurant

While it may be rare to see shark meat on a menu in the United States, that doesn't mean it's not available. Shark fin soup, specifically, remains a highly sought after meal for those who associate it with high social status, prosperity, and enhanced health. This actually could not be further from the truth, and if you do happen to see shark on a menu, there are several reasons why you should avoid ordering it.

Eating shark meat is poor form for both your own health, as well as the planet's. Contrary to claims that shark meat is healthy due to its high protein and omega-3 fatty acid contents, the truth is that eating shark meat can actually be poisonous due of the dangerously high levels of mercury it contains. Studies have shown that meat from various species of sharks, especially hammerheads, contain mercury levels unsafe for human consumption. In the marine ecosystem, the higher up the food chain you go, the higher levels of mercury are found. This is because the bigger the fish and the longer it lives, the more toxins it accumulates. Even when compared to common fish with the highest consumable mercury levels, shark meat far exceeds them all. Instead, try opting for fish with the lowest mercury levels, which is a good way to try and mitigate the negative effects of heavy metals in the blood.

Shark populations have declined more than 70% in the past 50 years, and certain species are now at serious risk of extinction, which would have catastrophic consequences for the climate. If sharks are eliminated, there would be too many other fish fighting for marine resources, leading to shortages of food. This would result in most species of fish dying off and a collapse of the marine ecosystem. Without sharks, the carbon cycle would also be seriously disrupted as sharks are essential for controlling carbon emissions in the marine atmosphere by scavenging for dead animals on the ocean floor. If it weren't for sharks, all of that carbon would rise to the surface of the ocean and be released into the atmosphere.

It is believed that 100 million sharks are killed by humans annually, and since they have a slow reproductive cycle, it is very hard to keep up with the losses. Just in case you are still not convinced that shark meat is one of the foods you should think twice about ordering at a fancy restaurant, animal cruelty is also front and center when it comes to how shark fin is obtained. In a process referred to as finning, sharks are caught only to have their fins cut off for the meat. They are often thrown straight back into the ocean, unable to swim and left to suffer and die.