Learn more about the destructive practice of shark finning Over 120 species of sharks are currently listed on IUCN World Conservation Trust's Red List of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife. The most urgent threat facing sharks is shark-finning, which entails the removal of a shark's fins and discarding the shark's body at sea so that it dies a slow, painful death. Demand for shark fin soup in Asia is devastating shark populations around the world. Shark fin soup was once an expensive luxury for the privileged few in southern China, but now it is mass-produced and has become routine at weddings, banquets and business dinners for millions of people worldwide. Due to their late maturity and slow reproduction rates, sharks are highly vulnerable to overexploitation. For example, with a gestation of 22-months, the spiny dogfish - a shark species whose fins are commonly used in shark fin soup – has the longest gestation period in the entire animal kingdom. It does not mature until its early twenties, is pregnant for 22 months and then produces only 6-8 pups.  Sharks are apex predators and play an important function in maintaining the health of our marine ecosystems. Serious disturbance to their numbers adversely affects many other species in the food chain. There is clear evidence that some fish stocks have collapsed because of a reduction in shark numbers.