Oceana is urging the European Parliament Fisheries Committee to vote in favour of a strict European ban on shark finning tomorrow (19 September) in Brussels.
Such a ban which would require all sharks to be landed with their fins still attached.
Although shark finning has been prohibited in the EU since 2003, Oceana says loopholes in the current legislation make the ban practically impossible to enforce, as an exemption allows Member States to issue special permits for fishing vessels to remove shark fins onboard. Under the current system of controls, it is extremely difficult to detect when finning has occurred, as shark fins and carcasses can be landed in separate ports at separate times.
Tomorrow’s vote is a step towards rectifying the legislation, which would then require the formal approval of the wider parliament before taking effect.
“With the largest shark fisheries in the world, the EU has an acknowledged responsibility to act as an international leader in shark conservation and management,” said Xavier Pastor, executive director of Oceana Europe. “Tomorrow, Members of the European Parliament have a critical opportunity to display that leadership, by calling for a ban that actually works."
However, the European surface longline sector has requested that European Parliament rejects the fins attached policy in order to ensure the viability of the fleet and the 13,875 jobs that depend on it.
The Spanish Fisheries Confederation (CEPESCA), The National Association of Wholesale Fish Markets of Spain (ANMAPE), The Shipowners Association of Industrial Fisheries of Portugal (ADAPI) and The Portuguese Shipowners Association (VIANAPESCA) have sent a letter members of the Committee on Fisheries stating that to ban the removal of fins aboard would increase annual costs of the fleet by more than €9.5m and would affect 2,775 fishermen and more than 11,100 land jobs.
