Is the demand for fins driving the high capture of sharks, or are there more significantly valuable commodities?

Around two decades ago, finning became the flagship campaign for many environmental non-governmental organisations (eNGOs) advocating for shark conservation. Despite the large body of research indicating otherwise, many eNGOs and major media outlets continue to present finning as the main driver for the capture of most shark species. They also consistently deliver misleading statements on the numbers of sharks killed solely for their fins yearly. I argue that although important, other factors, mainly the demand for meat, are responsible for the intense fishing pressure on many shark species. I designed a questionnaire, and enumerators presented it to fishers in three ports in West Sumatra, Indonesia, to answer why fishers target sharks. The main reason for catching small sharks was meat (87.8% of respondents), while fishers captured large sharks for their fins (93.5%). Most sharks caught were small (77.3%), and their flesh was the main product. The response to question 11 (If shark fin had no value, would you still land sharks?) was a substantial 93.9%. This result shows that fishers would still capture sharks for meat regardless of the fins' value in a country with one of the highest landings of sharks in the world. Conservation efforts should consider changing in situ market and social conditions and perceptions to address their goals effectively. Otherwise, eNGOs will develop campaigns that create fundraising and branding opportunities but miss their conservation goals.