Shark fins: Europe wants to fill the legal void

The European Commission proposed Monday to ban the cutting of shark fins on board fishing vessels and the throwing back into the sea of ​​animals still alive. “By filling the legal void in our legislation, we want to eradicate the appalling practice of shark fin removal and ensure much better protection for sharks,” said Maria Damanaki, Commissioner for Fisheries. The new legislation provides that vessels fishing in European Union waters and EU vessels fishing around the world will be “required to land sharks with the fins attached to the body”. Until now, fishermen had the option of landing the carcasses and fins in different ports. "Controls will now be easier, and it will become more difficult to hide the removal of the fins," Ms. Damanaki said.

The ban particularly targets the Spanish and Portuguese fleets, which fish in all oceans, but also French, German and British fishermen. The measure will not apply to artisanal fishing, the Commission was told. “The Commission's proposal is a positive step for the protection of sharks”, especially in the Atlantic, reacted the federation of NGOs Shark Alliance. “The EU, in particular Spain, is one of the main suppliers of fins to Asia,” she said. Overfishing is responsible for the disappearance of 73 million sharks each year, according to the Environment Group (PEG) association, which estimates that around thirty species are directly threatened with extinction.