AUCKLAND (NEW ZEALAND)- Good news for sharks in New Zealand waters. The government has fast-tracked a ban on shark finning. The new law will be effective from 1 October.
Eventually the ban was to be phased in from 1 October, with full implementation by October 2016. After consultation with fishing interests and the public, which wanted a ban in place as soon as possible, the Kiwi government decided to move forward.
At the moment it is already an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to remove the fin from a shark and return it to the sea alive.
The new ban will also make it illegal to catch a shark, kill it, remove its fins and dump the carcass at sea.