India has banned shark finning in its waters and lawbreakers now face up to 7 years in prison. About 70 million sharks are slaughtered every year around the world. The new law is an attempt to protect endangered species such as hammerheads and whale sharks from extinction. Shark finning consists in slicing off the shark's fin and then throwing its body back into the water to suffer a slow and agonizing death. Now, Indian fishermen will have to chop off sharks' fins on shore. India is the world's second largest shark catching nation, behind Indonesia. Most sharks are killed for food, but bone and fin export is on the rise. Last year, Indian fishermen exported $US4.8 million in shark fins to China, whose appetite for the 'delicacy' of shark fin soup is the major threat to sharks all over the world. (Source : DAN)