2012 Photo Contest, Nature, 3rd prize

Shark Fin

Photographer

Paul Hilton

for Pew/Greenpeace International/Shark Savers

02 April, 2011

The carcass of a grey reef shark hangs in a driftnet, as fishermen pull it to the surface.

About the photographer

Paul Hilton

Paul Hilton is a Hong Kong-based photojournalist, who focuses on global environmental and conservation issues. Presently, Hilton is working on a manta and mobula ray project, Man...

Background story

Raja Ampat, Indonesia

The carcass of a grey reef shark hangs in a driftnet, as fishermen pull it to the surface. Hunting sharks for their fins has become big business across the globe, as shark-fin soup—once an expensive delicacy unaffordable to most—soars in popularity among China’s growing, newly affluent middle class. Up to 73 million sharks are killed annually, and some recent estimates hold that up to 90 percent of the shark population in open oceans has already disappeared.

Technical information

Shutter Speed
1/320 sec
Focal length
27 mm
F-Stop
8
ISO
400
Camera
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

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