In 2025, the EU exported 2.7 thousand tonnes of shark fins to countries outside the EU, worth €44.8 million. Compared with 2024, the export volume decreased by 15.2% (from 3.1 thousand tonnes), and the export value dropped by 31.3% (from €65.3 million).
These decreases followed a steep rise between 2023 and 2024, when the export volume more than doubled (from 1.5 thousand tonnes to 3.1 thousand), and the export value jumped by 91% (from €34.2 million to €65.3 million), making 2024 a peak year. Data show that the export volume had been decreasing for 4 consecutive years since 2019, reaching a low of 1.5 thousand tonnes in 2023, largely due to the impact of COVID-19 measures. These measures caused a slowdown on the supply side in the EU and on the demand side in Asia, particularly as key markets such as China only lifted their COVID restrictions in December 2022.
At the end of 2023, there was a major update to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The Appendix II revision added 60 shark species to the endangered species list, bringing them under tighter international trade controls. As a result, exporters now have to provide more documentation and comply with increased scrutiny.
The 2025 decrease may indicate a return to normalised trade patterns as the EU stepped up monitoring. This included introducing new product codes available on Eurostat’s international trade database to track the most traded shark species, such as the blue shark and shortfin mako.
Source dataset: ds-045409
The EU also imports shark fins, however at a much lower level. In 2025, the EU imported 20.2 tonnes, worth €0.3 million. Both volume and value have been decreasing since 2023, when 66.9 tonnes worth €1.2 million were imported.
Most traded species: blue shark and shortfin mako
Exports of shark fins in 2025 were mostly frozen shark fins, totalling €40.3 million (89.9% of the total), and shark fins smoked, dried, salted or in brine, at €4.2 million (9.3%). Fresh or chilled shark fins and prepared or preserved shark fins represented less than 1% of the total export value.
When it comes to frozen shark fins, 97.2% of trade was in blue shark fins, and the remaining was from shortfin mako shark fins. For those smoked, dried, salted or in brine, most of the fins came from blue shark (81.7%) and shortfin mako (18.2%).
Singapore overtook China as top export partner
Shark fins are exported almost exclusively to Asian countries. Singapore and China were the main destinations in 2025, accounting for 41.5% and 40.9% of trade, respectively. They were followed by Hong Kong (12.8%), Japan (2.5%) and Vietnam (1.1%).
In 2024, Singapore became the top export partner, overtaking China.
Source dataset: ds-045409
This news article marks the World Oceans Day, celebrated every year on 8 June, providing an opportunity to celebrate the importance of the ocean and to better understand how to interact with it in a sustainable manner.