EU to decide on Shark Finning Proposal tomorrow

Strengthening EU shark finning ban

Press Release by Maria Damanaki, EU Commission – Maritime affairs and fisheries.

18. November 2011

On the basis of the public consultation the removal of fins of sharks on board vessels ( PDF here ) that run until February, Commissioner Damanaki put on the table a proposal to strengthen the ban on shark finning in EU waters and by EU fishermen across the world’s oceans.

EU rules banning shark finning date back to 2003 and generally ban the practice of cutting off the fins of sharks – often while they are still alive – and then throwing back into the sea the shark without its fins.

Nevertheless, allowing by exemption and under certain conditions, to remove fins aboard and to land fins and shark carcasses in different ports, this measure has proven not effective enough: shark finning remains difficult to detect, let alone to prove in legal proceedings. Last but not least, collecting scientific data becomes difficult, which in turn hampers fisheries management and conservation.

The Commission will decide on the new proposal on Monday 21 November.

Source: European Commission.