Although a similar ban was imposed back in 2003 by the EU, loopholes mean that sharks continue to be finned. Shark fins can fetch in excess of £200 per kilo due to the high demand for shark fin soup, an Asian delicacy, hence the strong financial incentive to cut the fins off at sea and discard the comparatively worthless body. Essentially, with the appropriate permit, sharks could still be finned provided the weight of fins on the vessel did not exceed 5% of the weight of shark carcasses on board. The idea was that this would force fisherman to land the whole shark, which would then take up considerably more storage space than the fins alone, thereby making it impractical to land as many fins – and consequently sharks – as they normally would.
Earlier in the year the IUCN published their findings that almost a third of open ocean sharks are threatened with extinction. Many people find sharks scary, but the prospect of an ocean without sharks is even scarier. Sharks are apex predators and as such play a vital role in the marine ecosystem. If the apex predators are taken out, the entire ecosystem becomes unbalanced and ultimately collapses. European Shark Week starts next week and provides those in Europe with a very good opportunity to help save our sharks. By signing the petition and getting involved in events all over Europe we can lobby for improvements to the EU finning ban and quotas of zero for especially threatened shark species.
We need to put our fear of sharks into perspective. Yes, occasionally a human dies as a result of a shark “accident” but this does not make them man-eaters seeking out humans at every available opportunity. In fact, sharks should be the ones scared of us. Every year an estimated 100 million sharks are caught globally, whereas in 2007 just one human was killed by a shark. This begs the question: Who’s the real predator?
As apex predators, sharks are essential to the oceans; they regulate and maintain the balance of life. Unfortunately, this important role that they fulfill is rarely acknowledged; sharks have suffered bad press for decades. Nowadays, sharks are under ever-increasing persecution; millions are caught every year in long-line fisheries, either as by-catch or in targeted fisheries. Most sharks are ‘finned’; whilst still alive, their fins are cut from their bodies, and the rest of the shark is dumped overboard to drown. The fins are destined for a dish served at banquets and weddings in the Far East; shark fin soup is a symbol of privilege and social rank, costing up to US $100 a bowl. It’s the rising demand for this status symbol dish that is driving many species of shark towards extinction.
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