India has banned export of shark fins of all species in 2015. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had approved a policy that prohibits the removal of shark fins on board a vessel in the sea. According to the policy, any possession of shark fins that are not naturally attached to the body of the shark, amounts to hunting of Schedule I species. In September 2014, India had also became a signatory of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and listed five shark species for conservation.
Shark finning is the act of removing fins from sharks, often while the shark is alive. Once the shark fin is removed, the sharks are discharged into the ocean. These sharks sink into the bottom of the ocean and die as they are unable to swim without fins. The fins are used for preparing a delicacy called the shark fin soup in Chinese and Vietnamese cuisines. Typically, a bowl of shark fin soup costs over $ 100 and the value of the fins in the illicit international market ranges anywhere from $ 500 to $ 1,200 per kg.
