Understanding the Market for Shark Products: It's Complicated

A new Nature Communications study suggests that shark-finning regulations have no statistically significant impact on global shark fin trade flows. Researchers at UC Santa Barbara, The Nature Conservancy and Renmin University of China analyzed a dataset that links what is caught with what is traded, addressing how fishing practices intersect with societal, economic and regulatory trends. Co-lead author Echelle Burns said there was “no clear-cut answer” after evaluating multiple factors. The paper found no significant effect on exports, imports, domestic consumption, or the number of trade partners. Even so, the authors say the work is the first to directly connect finning rules and trade dynamics.