Hong Kong Once Had a Thriving Shark Fishery

Sharks are rarely seen in the waters surrounding Hong Kong. As of 2024, the last recorded sighting of a shark in Hong Kong dates back to 2020, when a 3-meter shark was spotted in Sai Kung. Yet, Hong Kong is the world’s largest importer of shark fins and accounts for nearly 50% of the global shark fin trade, both legal and illegal.

In fact, Hong Kong once had an active shark fishery, supplying local restaurants as well as Mainland China with the highly sought-after shark fins used to make shark fin soup, which is still considered a delicacy in Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Southeast Asia.

Starting in the 1950s, a shark fishery was established in Hong Kong. After peaking in the late 1960s, when around 2,400 tonnes of shark fins were caught annually, the industry collapsed in the 1980s due to the depletion of sharks in Hong Kong waters. So much so that of the 17 shark species ever recorded in Hong Kong, most are now considered locally extinct.

Yet, to this day, only a handful of shark species are protected in Hong Kong, including members of the requiem and hammerhead families, which were only added to the list of endangered species in October 2023.