Addressing allegations of worker abuse, the Chinese Embassy maintained that Beijing “attaches great importance to protecting the lawful rights and interests of workers and always asks Chinese companies to abide by laws and regulations.”

Martínez said she wished the general public better understood these prehistoric animals. “Sharks fall under the class of fish, and because of this, they communicate their experience to us differently than marine mammals.” The human-like eyes and behavior of dolphins and sea lions make it easier for people to project themselves onto them, but it’s harder for people to naturally relate to sharks, Martínez said.

Harvested fins are frequently shipped to Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China that serves as the world’s largest shark fin trading hub. DNA analysis of fins imported into Hong Kong between 2014 and 2021 found the presence of at least four species on the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species list: scalloped hammerhead, smooth hammerhead, great hammerhead, and oceanic whitetip sharks.

China’s lack of a ban on the possession, transport, and sale of shark fin products is a further violation of the US Moratorium Protection Act, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. Although there are restrictions on serving shark-fin dishes at official Chinese government events, this does not constitute a nationwide ban, the report concluded.

“If China refuses to adopt comparable protections, then the US should use the tools Congress provided, including import restrictions,” said Olivera, highlighting that the ideal outcome is for China to adopt shark conservation measures comparable to US law. “The point of the petition is to make shark conservation standards real, not optional.”

“The level of demand we place on the ocean simply cannot continue,” said Martínez, whose first live encounter was with a Great white shark in South Africa. “Shark finning is part of that larger story, a reflection of just how deeply we have exploited our oceans.”

This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy, and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here.