BBC News, 6
June 2013
Related
Stories
 |
| These shark carcasses in Indonesia have had their fins removed |
The ban for
EU fishing crews has existed since 2003, but with special permits they were
still allowed to remove the fins from shark carcasses.
Ministers
have now agreed with MEPs to eliminate that legal loophole.
The Shark Trust campaign group says the EU exports 27% of the fins traded in Hong Kong -
a major fin-trading centre.
Hong Kong
accounts for more than half of all the fins traded worldwide, the group says.
They are used in soups and traditional cures in Asia, where they are valued
much more highly than the rest of the shark.
Finning is
deemed cruel because the fins are often removed while the shark is still alive
- it then drowns when it is thrown back into the sea.
A statement from the EU Council, which groups ministers from the 27 member states, said
finning had contributed to a serious decline in shark populations.
It said
that "with its policy of fins remaining attached, the EU will also be in a
better position to push for shark protection at international level".
On a global
level Indonesia lands the highest tonnage of sharks.
Conservationists
argued that the issuing of Special Fishing Permits (SFPs) that allowed fins to
be removed at sea prevented the EU ban from becoming fully effective.
According
to European Parliament data, the largest number of SFPs issued were to Spanish
and Portuguese vessels (1,266 and 145 respectively, in 2004-2010).
Portugal
voted against the new controls, the Council said.
Related Articles:
New restrictions bite Hong Kong shark fin traders
Opponents fail to overturn shark-protection deal
 |
Image taken on January 2, 2013 shows shark fins drying in the sun on the
roof of a factory building in Hong Kong (AFP/File, Antony Dickson)
|
Related Articles:
New restrictions bite Hong Kong shark fin traders
Opponents fail to overturn shark-protection deal
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.