According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), more than a third of shark and ray species in the world are directly threatened by extinction.

“About 100 million sharks are killed each year,” says Mingsen Tan, co-founder and vice-president of Shark Savers Malaysia.

The 44-year-old’s love affair with marine life began in the early 2000s during a trip with his friends to Koh Lipe, a small island in southwestern Thailand.

“My friends spotted a shark while diving. I missed out on it because I wasn’t a diver,” he says, adding that he joined a diving course the very next day.

He soon discovered the worrying state of the ocean and felt compelled to play a role in its conservation.

After organising various shark conservation campaigns for a few years, in 2016 Tan and several other like-minded Malaysians founded Shark Savers Malaysia (SSMY), a volunteer-led non-profit organisation.

Sharks have existed for about 450 million years. As the apex predator, their extinction will affect all levels of the food chain.

“A lot of people think that oxygen comes from the rainforest, but more than 80% of the oxygen in earth’s atmosphere comes from the ocean,” says Tan.

“Saving sharks saves the oceans, which saves us!”

History of shark fin soup

Sharks are killed mainly for their fins. It is believed that shark fin soup was introduced in China in the 10th century during the reign of the Song Dynasty.

“In those times, only the imperial family consumed the dish,” says Tan, who works in the IT sector.

These days, however, shark fin soup is regarded as a symbol of status and wealth and is consumed at weddings and special occasions.

Some even believe that shark fin contains medicinal properties, although it has not been proven by science.

“In reality, it has no nutritional value and it is quite tasteless,” Tan points out, adding that the flavour comes from the seasoning in the broth.

“In fact, people can’t tell the difference between imitation shark fin soup and the real thing.”

Since the rest of the shark is not as valuable or tasty, once its fins are cut off, the poor creature is thrown back into the ocean and it eventually bleeds to death.

“It’s like cutting off your limbs and leaving you to bleed to death,” he says.

Why are sharks misunderstood?

Hollywood’s ‘Jaws’ films series are notorious for painting sharks as ferocious man-eaters, although the opposite is true – humans are not food for sharks.

“Sharks only attack humans when they are confused or curious, and less than 20 people get killed by sharks each year,” says Tan, adding that out of the 500-odd species of sharks, only about a dozen have attacked humans.

Interestingly, the writer of Jaws, Peter Benchley, regretted his depiction of sharks as vengeful creatures and went on to become an ocean activist.

According to Tan, the response to shark conservation programmes from the younger generation has been encouraging as they are generally more aware when it comes to environmental issues.

Besides organising education outreach programmes, Shark Savers Malaysia has been tirelessly recruiting corporate figures and local celebrities to be their ambassadors. In the near future, it hopes to get sports ambassadors to join the movement.

Their goal is to get one million Malaysians to stop consuming shark fin.

According to Malaysia’s Fisheries Act, sharks can be consumed as they are listed as “fish”.

“Once we reach our target, we’ll ask the government to consider banning the shark fin trade,” says Tan, adding that it was a victory for shark activists when the government announced in 2014 that shark fin soup would not be served at official government functions.

Malaysians can help save the sharks and the planet by signing the pledge on Shark Savers Malaysia’s website to stop consuming shark fin. “At the end of the day,” says Tan, “when the buying stops, the killing stops.”

For more information, visit Shark Savers Malaysia’s website, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.