cooking the flesh breaks it into powder

A popular myth is that sharks are immune to disease and cancer; this is not scientifically supported. Sharks may get cancer.[82][83] Both diseases and parasites affect sharks. The evidence that sharks are at least resistant to cancer and disease is mostly anecdotal and there have been few, if any, scientific or statistical studies that show sharks to have heightened immunity to disease.[84] Other apparently false claims are that fins prevent cancer[85] and treat osteoarthritis.[86] No scientific proof supports these claims; at least one study has shown shark cartilage of no value in cancer treatment.[87]
Conservation

Further information: List of threatened sharks and Shark sanctuary
Photo of shark fin soup in bowl with Chinese spoon

The value of shark fins for shark fin soup has led to an increase in shark catches. Usually only the fins are taken, while the rest of the shark is discarded, usually into the sea.
Graph of shark catch from 1950 to 2007, linear growth from less than 300,000 tons per year in 1950 to about 850,000 in 2000

The annual shark catch has increased rapidly over the last 50 years.
Photo of suspended tiger shark next to four men.

A 14-foot (4.3 m), 1,200-pound (540 kg) tiger shark caught in Kane‘ohe Bay, Oahu in 1966
Fishery
It is estimated that 100 million sharks are killed by people every year, due to commercial and recreational fishing.[88][89] Shark finning yields are estimated at 1.44 million metric tons for 2000, and 1.41 million tons for 2010. Based on an analysis of average shark weights, this translates into a total annual mortality estimate of about 100 million sharks in 2000, and about 97 million sharks in 2010, with a total range of possible values between 63 and 273 million sharks per year.[90] Sharks are a common seafood in many places, including Japan and Australia. In the Australian state of Victoria, shark is the most commonly used fish in fish and chips, in which fillets are battered and deep-fried or crumbed and grilled. In fish and chip shops, shark is called flake. In India, small sharks or baby sharks (called sora in Tamil language, Telugu language) are sold in local markets. Since the flesh is not developed, cooking the flesh breaks it into powder, which is then fried in oil and spices (called sora puttu/sora poratu). The soft bones can be easily chewed. They are considered a delicacy in coastal Tamil Nadu. Icelanders ferment Greenland sharks to produce hákarl, which is widely regarded as a national dish.[citation needed] During a four-year period from 1996 to 2000, an estimated 26 to 73 million sharks were killed and traded annually in commercial markets