Legal Trade, Illegal Deception: The Truth About Shark Meat in Panama

A Silent Crisis Beneath the Surface

For millions of years, sharks have played a crucial role in maintaining the health and balance of our oceans. As apex predators, they regulate marine ecosystems, ensuring species diversity and stability. Yet today, across Panama and wider Central America, shark populations are facing a steep and alarming decline.

While illegal fishing and poaching are often blamed, a more troubling reality exists where many of the practices driving this decline are still legal. Sharks are being caught, killed, and processed into products such as meat, fins, and oils, often with limited oversight or transparency. At the same time, public awareness remains dangerously low, leaving consumers disconnected from the true impact of their everyday purchases.

Legal Trade: An Industry Without Transparency

The capture, killing, and sale of shark products in Panama is not only widespread—it is, in many cases, legal. This includes shark meat being sold in local markets and supermarkets, as well as shark-derived products entering other industries such as cosmetics.

However, the issue goes far beyond legality. Shark meat is frequently sold under misleading or generic names such as “white fish,” “fish fillet,” “corminata,” or simply marketed as fish for ceviche. This deliberate mislabelling conceals the true identity of the product, preventing consumers from knowing they are purchasing shark.

At the same time, shark liver oil, commonly used in beauty and skincare products, is often included as an ingredient without clear or transparent labelling. While these products are marketed for their health and cosmetic benefits, the origin of these ingredients is rarely disclosed.

This creates a disturbing contradiction:

• The killing and sale of sharks may be legal

• But misleading consumers about what they are buying is not

Certain cosmetics could contain shark oil, also known as squalene

Learn more about shark related products and why sharks are killed

Illegal Deception: When Consumer Rights Are Violated

Consumers have a fundamental right to know what they are buying and consuming. In many countries—including Panama—laws exist to protect buyers from misleading or fraudulent practices. Yet in this case, those rights are being routinely violated.

By disguising shark meat under generic or alternative names, sellers are effectively deceiving customers into unknowingly consuming shark products. Most consumers would likely make different choices if they were fully informed. Instead, they are denied that choice entirely.

The same applies to cosmetics. Shark liver oil, valued for its perceived skin benefits, is quietly embedded in a range of products without transparent labelling. This raises an uncomfortable but important question:

Who is informing consumers that a shark was killed to produce their skincare product?

The answer, too often, is no one.This lack of transparency is not accidental, it is driven by the understanding that many consumers would reject such products if the truth were clearly presented.

Why This Matters: A Threat to Sharks and Ecosystems

This issue is not just about consumer rights—it is about the survival of shark species and the health of entire marine ecosystems.

Unregulated and unethical fishing practices are placing immense pressure on already vulnerable shark populations. In Panama and surrounding regions, species such as the scalloped hammerhead—classified as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature—are experiencing severe declines. Even more concerning is the increasing capture of juvenile sharks, often sold as cheaper meat products like ceviche.

How many sharks are threatened or endangered?

When young sharks are removed before they can reproduce, populations lose their ability to recover. Over time, this leads to rapid and irreversible declines.

The consequences extend far beyond sharks themselves. Without these top predators:

• Marine food chains become unbalanced

• Prey species can overpopulate

• Coral reefs and ocean ecosystems begin to degrade

Learn more about why sharks are important

What We Can Do: Driving Change Through Awareness and Action

The scale of this issue means that both sharks and consumers are victims of the same system. While sharks are being overexploited, consumers are being unknowingly drawn into supporting this trade. Change must happen on multiple levels.

Stronger regulations are needed to address the gaps that allow shark products to be sold without restriction or transparency. Clear and enforced labelling laws are essential to ensure consumers can make informed decisions. At the same time, it is important to support and promote ethical and transparent fisheries, where honesty and sustainability are prioritised.

Education also plays a vital role. As awareness grows, consumer behaviour can shift—and with it, market demand. When people are empowered with knowledge, they are far more likely to choose responsibly sourced products or avoid shark products altogether.

Tools for Transparency: Apps That Help You Make Informed Choices

One of the biggest challenges in tackling deceptive practices is that consumers often don’t have the tools to identify what they are really buying. When shark meat is sold under generic names, or shark-derived ingredients are hidden within cosmetics, it becomes nearly impossible to make informed decisions at the point of purchase.

However, technology is beginning to bridge this gap! A growing number of mobile apps now allow users to scan product barcodes and instantly access detailed information about ingredients, health impacts, and environmental considerations. These tools are becoming increasingly popular as consumers demand greater transparency from the food and cosmetics industries.

Recommended Apps to Help Decode Products

• Yuka

  One of the most widely used apps globally, with over 80 million users. Yuka allows you to scan food and cosmetic products and instantly receive a clear rating based on nutritional quality, additives, and ingredient safety. It also suggests healthier or safer alternatives when products score poorly.

  
  

• CodeCheck

  A useful tool for scanning food, drinks, and beauty products to access ingredient breakdowns and health-related insights. It helps users better understand what’s inside everyday products and identify potentially harmful components.

  
  

• Open Food Facts

  A community-driven platform that provides detailed information on food products, including ingredients, allergens, and environmental impact. While data accuracy can vary, it offers valuable transparency and global product coverage.

  
  

• INCI Beauty

  Specifically focused on cosmetics, this app breaks down ingredient lists and assigns risk levels, helping users understand what they are putting on their skin.

A Note of Caution

While these apps are powerful, they are not perfect.They rely on databases, algorithms, and available information, which means:

• Not every product will be listed

• Some ingredient assessments may vary

• They should be used as a guide—not the sole source of truth

That said, they are still one of the best tools currently available to help cut through misleading labels and hidden ingredients.

Writter Bio:

Naiara Budia, 16 — I love travelling, reading, socialising, and making new friends, especially when it means pushing myself out of my comfort zone. The ocean is a magical and fascinating place, that holds a special presence over my life and am deeply passionate about. Sharks, in particular, are such beautiful and powerful presences, and I want to do whatever I can to help protect them and keep the ocean thriving