Avoid shark meat and shark fin soup

As Director of Sustainable Practices at Shedd Aquarium, I am concerned over the recent promotion and availability of shark meat and shark fin soup in Chicago restaurants.

And I'm not alone, as we have received dozens of alerts from Chicagoans equally as concerned.

Sharks worldwide are currently in dire straits, with populations at a mere 10 percent of where they should be due to over-fishing and indiscriminate fishing methods. Nearly 50 million sharks are taken each year for their fins, meat and cartilage, and another 50 million are accidentally caught by fishery nets and hooks intended for other species. This approximates to 3 sharks per second.

Sharks are a long-lived species that reproduce slowly, thus are unable to reproduce fast enough to keep pace. I am concerned that, with populations already so low, sharks will not be able to withstand continued fishery pressure for much longer.

Avoiding shark meat and shark fin soup is one way we can help save shark populations worldwide, but we also realize that we have much more work to do if these animals are still appearing on local plates.

Shedd Aquarium's Right Bite sustainable seafood program builds awareness about the environmental issues surrounding seafood, including sharks. Download an easy, color-coded Right Bite seafood wallet card from our Web site (www.sheddaquarium.org/rightbite) to use as a quick reference when dining out or grocery shopping.

Ask questions and let your voice be heard. Know where and how your fish was caught and let your favorite restaurants and grocery stores know you care about these important issues.

Together we can truly make a difference for our planet.

Michelle Jost

Director of Sustainable Practices

John G. Shedd Aquarium Chicago