BRUSSELS (BELGIUM)- European Union nations this week backed a complete ban on the practice of removing sharks’ fins before throwing the fish back into the sea to die.
The EU nations said they want all boats in their waters and EU-registered boats anywhere in the world to land sharks with their fins attached. The proposals still need the support of the European Parliament before they can become law.
Prone to fraud
Under current rules, the EU still has exemptions and special permits for the practice, and the enforcement is so convoluted it is prone to fraud. Damanaki has compared shark finning to killing elephants for their tusks only.
Cruel
The measures to better protect endangered sharks are part of an overall EU policy to promote sustainable fisheries after decades of overfishing have brought many popular species in the Atlantic and Mediterranean to the brink of commercial extinction.EU fisheries chief Maria Damanaki said the law would “ease control and help us eradicate shark finning,” which she called cruel to the animals and a vast waste of resources.
As a result, the hammerhead shark is as good as extinct in the Mediterranean Sea.
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