Shark’s Fin

shark’s fin an ingredient greatly valued in China both in cookery and traditional medicine, comes—obviously—from a shark, but not just any shark and not just any fin. Of the numerous species in the Indo-Pacific only a few are especially sought because they yield fins with the qualities required; and distinctions are also made between e.g. the dorsal fin and the ventral fins and others.

Kreuzer (1974) listed what he thought were the most valuable fins, explaining that those of sharks shorter than 1.5 m (5') are preferred, and mentioning the pectoral fins of the sawfish shark (Pristis pectinata) and, more generally, the upper lobe of the tail of all sharks. He additionally listed fins of one of the nurse sharks; and the more recent publication by Compagno (1984) draws attention to the use of one such shark, Nebrius ferrugineus.