Shark populations are facing widespread declines due to overfishing, bycatch, and the high demand for shark fins in international trade. Accurate species identification is critical for effective management and enforcement, yet many shark fins entering global markets are processed in ways that obscure morphological features. In this study, we assess the utility of portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) as a rapid, non-destructive method for species identification in elasmobranch fisheries, focusing specifically on shark fins. Fin tissue samples from five shark species—blacktip, gummy, mako, roughskin dogfish, and tiger sharks—were analysed for their elemental composition. Multivariate analyses, including PERMANOVA, non-metric multidimensional scaling, and similarity percentage analysis, revealed significant interspecies differences in elemental composition. Random forest models applied to elemental concentration data demonstrated high overall classification performance, achieving an accuracy of 92.7% ± 0.87%. Notably, certain species, including blacktip shark and roughskin dogfish, were classified with 100% accuracy, highlighting the strong discriminatory capacity of elemental profiling for species identification within this species set. These findings demonstrate that pXRF-based elemental profiling can serve as a rapid, scalable, and cost-effective complement to genetic approaches, particularly for processed or trade-relevant samples. Further research is needed to understand its applicability to a broader range of taxa, tissues and geographic origins. This technique shows strong potential for integration into fisheries monitoring programs and frontline enforcement settings to support traceability, compliance, and the protection of threatened shark species.