So says Dr Giam Choo Hoo, animal expert and member of the United Nations-based Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites).
The convention is a worldwide agreement between governments to ensure that wildlife consumption does not threaten species survival.
Dr Giam, a Singaporean, says campaigns by wildlife groups against eating shark's fin are exaggerated and misplaced, because there is insufficient data to draw the conclusions they are coming to.
'People have been misled into thinking that it is common practice to kill sharks only for their fins, and to cut them off while they are still alive,' he says. Most fins are taken after the sharks are dead, he adds.
He also questions claims by international wildlife agencies about dwindling shark numbers.
Groups like the Singapore Environment Council and international conservationist group WildAid are campaigning against the depletion of shark populations worldwide. Studies say between 40
and 70 million sharks are killed annually for their fins.
But he says animal groups focus excessively on the consumption of shark's fin soup by the Chinese, when in reality, sharks are caught worldwide for their meat, just like normal fish.
He adds that the United Nations has various codes and fishing agreements to manage shark populations.
He notes that only three species of sharks - the Great White shark, basking shark and whale shark - out of hundreds, are considered mildly endangered by Cites. But wildlife groups have their own definitions and claim the number is more. 'Ultimately it's a matter of who to believe,' he says.
Indeed, some conservation agencies seemed to have scored a coup on the issue recently by showing that eating shark meat could be a possible health hazard.
The Singapore Environment Council, together with WildAid, said last week that about three out of 10 shark fin's samples sold here were found to contain unsafe levels of mercury.
However, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore has pointed out that the levels of mercury are still within safe limits, and there
is no cause for alarm.
Mercury is found in higher concentrations in top predators like sharks because levels accumulate in them through consumption of their prey.
'People have been misled into thinking that it is common practice to kill sharks only for their fins, and to cut them off while they are still alive.'
Dr Giam Choo Hoo, a member of Cites