Key facts
- EU shark fin exports decreased by 15% from 2024 to 2025.
- In 2025, EU countries exported nearly 3,000 tonnes of shark fins.
- Spain is the largest EU exporter of shark fins.
- The primary destinations for EU shark fin exports are Singapore and mainland China.
- The EU is evaluating a ban on the import of detached shark fins.
The European Union is seeing a decline in its shark fin trade, with exports dropping by 15% between 2024 and 2025, according to Eurostat data. Last year, EU member states sold nearly 3,000 tonnes of shark fins outside the bloc, valued at approximately €45 billion. Blue sharks constitute the vast majority of these exports, accounting for 97%, with shortfin mako sharks making up the remainder.
This decrease follows stricter regulations from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which has enhanced inspections and traceability. While the convention added more shark species to its protected list, blue sharks were not included.
A study by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) indicated that Spain is by far the largest exporter within the EU, having exported at least 52,000 tonnes of shark fins between 2003 and 2020. Portugal, the Netherlands, France, and Italy are also significant exporters, though in smaller volumes. The primary markets for these exports are Singapore and mainland China, each receiving about 40% of the total, followed by Hong Kong (13%), Vietnam (1%), and Japan (2.5%).
The EU also imports shark fins, but in much smaller quantities, around 20 tonnes annually, worth €0.3 million. The trade is controversial due to its ecological impact, as sharks are apex predators vital for marine ecosystem health. The practice of finning, where fins are sliced off live sharks before their bodies are discarded, is illegal in the EU. The bloc enforces a 'Fins Naturally Attached' policy, requiring sharks to be landed with fins intact. Furthermore, the EU is currently assessing whether to implement a ban on the import of detached shark fins.