From The Animal Welfare Institute

Some countries/jurisdictions have enacted full or partial bans on the practice of shark finning—slicing off the fins of the shark at sea (often while the shark is still alive) and discarding the carcass. Still other country/jurisdictions have taken the additional step of enacting complete or partial bans on shark fishing (such that, by inclusion, shark finning is also banned). Some airlines, hotels, and other companies have also refused to transport, serve or sell shark fin products. Information on which jurisdictions and companies have (or in some cases, have not) taken steps to ban shark finning/fishing are listed below.

Countries/jurisdictions with full or partial bans on shark finning

Canada/British Columbia (1994–2012) finning bans implemented in various cities throughout Canada and British Columbia
Oman (1998) sharks must be landed, transported, sold or disposed of whole
South Africa (1998) sharks must be landed, transported, sold or disposed of whole
New South Wales, Australia (1999) no finning in NSW coastal waters; sharks may not be taken on board any vessel without fins naturally attached
United Arab Emirates (1999) sharks must be landed whole
Spain (2002) no fins on board without the corresponding carcasses
Namibia (2003) no finning
Gambia (2004) no finning in territorial waters
Nicaragua (2004) no fin exports without proof that the meat was sold
Costa Rica (2006) former “fins attached” requirement reinstated (cancelling a 2003 policy that allowed sharks to be landed without their fins)
Seychelles (2006) no removal of fins on board vessel unless granted authorization
El Salvador (2009) no finning in territorial waters
Panama (2006) no finning in territorial waters
Colombia (2007) sharks must be landed with fins naturally attached to their bodies
Sierra Leone (2008) no finning
Argentina (2009) may not retain fins and discard carcasses
Guinea (2009) no finning in territorial waters
United Kingdom (2009) no removal of shark fins at sea by any UK vessel worldwide
Honduras (2010) no finning
Chile (2011) sharks must be landed with fins naturally attached to their bodies
Taiwan (2012) all sharks be landed with fins naturally attached
Brazil (2012) sharks be landed with fins naturally attached to their bodies
Venezuela (2012) sharks be landed with fins naturally attached to their bodies
The Republic of Malta (2012) sharks must be landed whole
European Union (2013) no finning by any vessel in EU waters or by any EU-registered vessel worldwide
Hong Kong (2013) no shark fin soup at government functions
India (2013) sharks must be landed with fins attached to their bodies
China (2013) no shark fin dishes at official government functions
British Virgin Islands (2014) no sale, possession, or distribution of shark fin products
New Zealand (2014) no finning in territorial waters

This list was comprised in conjunction with WildLifeRisk, and with the help of resources from the Humane Society International.

Countries/jurisdictions with full or partial bans on shark fishing (such that shark finning is also banned)

Israel (1980) no shark fishing
Congo-Brazzaville (2001) no shark fishing
Ecuador (2004) no direct shark fishing in Ecuadorian waters, but sharks caught elsewhere may be landed in Ecuador
Egypt (2005) no shark fishing and commercial sale of sharks
French Polynesia (2006) no shark fishing, with exception of Mako sharks
Mexico (2007) no finning; (2011) no shark fishing from May to August
Guinea-Bissau (2008) no shark fishing in marine protected areas
Palau (2009) no shark fishing
Honduras (2010) no shark fishing
The Republic of Maldives (2010) no shark fishing
The Marshall Islands (2010 no commercial shark fishing or sale of shark products
Indonesia (2010) no shark fishing in Raja Ampat
The Cook Islands (2012) no commercial shark fishing, sale, or trade of shark products
The Bahamas (2011) no commercial fishing, sale, or trade in shark products
Marshall Islands (2011) no commercial shark fishing or sale of shark products
Tokelau Islands(2011) no shark fishing in territorial waters
Sabah, Malaysia (2011) no shark fishing, no possession and sale of fins
Brunei (2013) no harvest and importation of shark products
Fiji (2013) no shark fishing
UK Virgin Islands (2014) no commercial fishing of sharks or rays
United Arab Emirates (2014) no shark fishing from February 1 to June 30 and banned all imports and exports of shark products
Kiribati (2015) no commercial fishing in the Phoenix Islands Protected Area and Southern Line Islands

This list was comprised with the help of resources from the Humane Society International.

Companies that have banned shark fin soup

Hong Kong Disneyland (2005)
Amazon (2007)
Carrefour, NTUC Fairprice, Cold Storage—three major supermarket chains in Singapore (2011)
Peninsula Hotels Group (owned by Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels Ltd.) (2011)
Shangri-la Hotel chain (2012)
Westin Macau (2012)
Fairmont Hotels Group (2012)
23 luxury hotels in Thailand—as part of the “Fin Free Thailand” program (2013); several US-owned hotels participate in this program, including Four Seasons (Bangkok, Tented Camp, Chiang Mai and Koh Samui), and the JW Marriott (Phuket)
Starwood Hotels and Resorts (includes Westin USA, Sheraton, Le Meridien, and Four Points) (2014)
Marriott Hotel Group (2014)
Hilton Hotels (2014)
Melia Hotels—Spain’s biggest hotel chain (2014)
Labau Hotels in Thailand (2014)