New Zealand’s government has confirmed a ban on shark finning, with the first tranche of sharks included in the ban taking affect from 1 October 2014.
Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith made the announcement in response to 45,300 submissions on the National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks.
“The 45,300 submissions in favour of the proposal to ban finning show New Zealanders’ attitudes to sharks have come a long way since the ‘Jaws’ days. It is now widely recognised that sharks are an important part of the marine ecosystem and that we need to ensure the 113 species of shark in our waters survive,” Dr Smith says. The submissions also showed concerns that the timetable for banning shark finning should be sooner.
The first tranche of shark species will be covered by the shark finning ban from 1 October 2014, the second tranche from 1 October 2015, and only the highly migratory blue sharks will be left until 1 October 2016.
“It is already an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to fin a shark and return it to sea alive. Under the extended ban, it will also become illegal to catch a shark, kill it, remove its fins and dump the carcass at sea,” Mr Guy says.
