New Zealand to speed up its shark-finning ban

New Zealand’s proposed ban on all shark finning is to be brought forward two years earlier than previously planned, to October 2014 the Government has said.

“We announced a ban on shark finning earlier this year that would phase in the ban by October 2016, but in response to consultations we now believe it is possible to implement a ban in October 2014,” said Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith “This is good news and builds on New Zealand’s strong reputation for sustainability and protecting our natural environment. Sharks are an important part of the marine ecosystem and we need to ensure the 113 species of shark in our waters survive.”

In January it was announced that the ban would be in three stages, with the first tranche of shark species being protected by the shark finning ban from 1 October 2014, a second tranche from 1 October 2015, and that only the highly migratory blue sharks would be left until 1 October 2016.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy said. “Ending shark finning was always going to present practical challenges for the fishing industry, and there was a need to give them time to adjust. I’m very pleased that the industry has risen to that challenge, and worked with MPI, DOC and other stakeholders to look at options for a more rapid implementation of the ban. 

“It’s important to note that it is already an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to fin a shark and return it to the 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.”

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/NZ-shark-fin-ban.html

Demand for shark fin declines

April 2014: The number of shark fin products imported into Hong Kong last year dropped by over a third. Government data analysed by WWF showed a decline by 34.7 percent, and statistics also showed that there was also a significant decline in the number of shark fins re-exported from Hong Kong to other locations. 

Recent trends indicate that shark fin, once perceived as a delicacy or an essential part of dinner banquets, may be no longer as socially acceptable as it once was. WWF has made significant progress in convincing caterers like hotel chains, and transporters like airlines, to stop carrying shark fins. Additionally, the Chinese government has banned shark fin at official state functions, which may be impacting demand for fins. 

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New Zealand to ban shark finning

Wellington (AFP) - New Zealand is to ban shark finning in its waters within two years, Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy announced Sunday.

It is already illegal in New Zealand to slice the fin off a shark and throw it back alive, and Guy said the new ban would be extended to finning a shark and dumping the carcass at sea.

It will start to take effect in some areas next October and cover all New Zealand waters by 2016.

"The practise of finning sharks is inconsistent with New Zealand’s reputation as one of the best managed and conserved fisheries in the world," he said.

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'I'm FINished with Fins' Shark Campaign Launches in Mainland China

WildAid applauds government on cutting demand following media campaign and shark fin soup ban

September 2013. On a day traditionally celebrated with the gathering of Chinese families, WildAid launched the "I'm FINished with Fins" campaign in Mainland China during the Mid-Autumn Festival. 

The campaign, which launched earlier this year in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan, aims to raise awareness of shark finning and help China's residents pledge not to eat shark fin. The launch was showcased at Shanghai's Touch Mall to allow hundreds of supporters and notable figures to pledge their commitment to "refuse to eat shark fin." Headlining the festivities were members of "Happy Camp", a wildly popular television show throughout China, including He Jiong, Xie Na, Li Weijia, Wu Xin, and Du Haitao. 

When the Buying Stops, the Killing Can Too

Following WildAid's "When the Buying Stops, the Killing Can Too" campaign, led by Yao Ming and the Chinese government's 2012 ban on shark fin soup at official functions, "I'm FINished with Fins" will continue to raise awareness that saying "no" to shark fin soup is socially acceptable. The campaign will be primarily promoted online through China's burgeoning social media platforms.

Large decrease in demand recorded

According to the South China Morning Post, the Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong reported that shark fin imports have reduced from 10,292 tons to 3,087 tons from 2011 to November 2012; over a 70% decline. Additionally, the chairman of the Hong Kong-based Shark Fin Trade Merchants Association told the South China Morning Post "the whole industry has recorded a 50% decrease of sales in the last year...mainly due to the omnipresent advocacy by green groups."

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MEPs vote to close 'shark finning' loopholes

By Mark Kinver Environment reporter, BBC News

Loopholes in current EU measures were not offering enough protection to sharks, said campaigners

MEPs have voted to close loopholes that allowed some EU fishing vessels to continue "shark finning".

Although the EU banned removing shark fins at sea and discarding the body, special permits allowed finning to continue legally.

Conservation groups, which said finning was threatening shark numbers, welcomed the European Parliament's decision.

The decision to back the European Commission's plans means the details will now be considered by EU ministers.

The resolution was adopted with 566 votes in favour, 47 against and 16 abstentions.

"Parliament's vote represents a major milestone in the global effort to end the wasteful practice," said Sandrine Polti, EU shark policy adviser for the Pew Environmental Group and the Shark Alliance.

"[We have] been working towards this and other fundamental reforms in European shark policies for more than six years and are thrilled with today's vote and the progress we expect to stem from it."

Continued:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20445297

Venezuela Bans Shark Finning, Establishes Shark Sanctuary

Some much-needed good news for sharks has come from Venezuela this week: The South American country announced it is banning shark finning in its waters and has established a new shark sanctuary.

The country became the last in the Americas to outlaw the practice of cutting off the fins of live sharks and tossing the animals back into the ocean to slowly die.  

The country also has created a sanctuary where several important shark species breed, outlawing commercial shark fishing there. The sanctuary consists of 1,440 square miles (3,730 square kilometers) of the Caribbean Sea surrounding the Los Roques Archipelago, a popular tourist destination with pristine beaches and coral reefs, according to a statement from the Pew Environment group.

Continued:  http://www.livescience.com/21118-venezuela-bans-shark-finning.html

Obama in hot water over shark fin soup

It was the sort of visit made for cameras, but President Barack Obama's stop at a Chinese restaurant came under scrutiny on Friday after the menu showed that it served shark fin.

Obama, in San Francisco for fund-raisers, on Thursday surprised and delighted lunch-time diners with a surprise stop at a restaurant in Chinatown. He posed for pictures and paid in cash for two bags of take-out food.

But a look at the menu of the restaurant, Great Eastern, showed that it offered soup from shark fin, a Chinese delicacy that environmentalists say is pushing the ancient fish to the point of extinction.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said that no one on the staff had been aware of the issue until seeing media reports on Friday and that Obama had not ordered shark.

"The president enjoyed his visit to Chinatown, and, as you know, ordered a lot of dim sum takeout. No soup," Carney told reporters on Air Force One.

Environmentalists say that tens of millions of sharks are killed each year as fishermen slice off their fins for dinner tables, leaving them to die in the water. Sharks have few offspring, compounding risks to their survival.

The United States banned finning in its waters in 2000. Obama in January 2011 signed the Shark Conservation Act that toughened regulations by banning imports of fins that are not attached to corresponding shark carcasses.

While the federal law did not ban shark fins themselves, California Governor Jerry Brown in October signed a bill that barred the sale, trade and possession of shark fins. However, restaurants in San Francisco and elsewhere in California can still sell existing stocks of shark fin until July 2013.

Rebecca Regnery, deputy director of wildlife for Humane Society International, said that shark fin was still on offer at a majority of large Chinese restaurants in cities with large Asian populations.

She said that her group had special cards which it encouraged diners to fill out and send to restaurants if they find shark fin.

"Usually the restaurants say we're happy not to serve it, but then everyone is going to go to our competitor and because of demand we're obligated to serve it," she said.

"If it's the opposite, and people go to a competitor that does not serve shark fin, then it starts making economic sense to take it off the menu," she said.

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-hot-water-over-shark-fin-soup-224053506.html

EU proposes outright ban on shark finning

THE EU has finally proposed an outright ban on shark finning, in a move welcomed by European Parliament fisheries committee Vice-President Struan Stevenson MEP, a longstanding campaigner against the practice.



Shark finning is the practice where fishermen cut the valuable fins from a shark and throw the rest of the shark back in the water - often while still alive. The practice has officially been illegal since 2003 but a loophole in the law only requires the weight of the fins caught to be around five percent of the total shark catch. As the average fin-to-shark ratio is around two percent, this effectively means that at least half of the sharks that are finned need not be landed.



Now EU fisheries commissioner Maria Damanaki is proposing a complete ban on 'finning' on all EU vessels around the world.



Mr Stevenson fought off Spanish efforts in 2006 to increase the fin to fish ratio to 6.5 percent, and he has long campaigned for a complete end to the barbaric practice so that every shark caught must be landed, rather than thrown back to die a lingering and agonising death.



Mr Stevenson, Conservative MEP for Scotland, said: “Sharks may have an image problem but they are crucial to the ocean's ecosystem. The practice of shark finning is both detrimental to our marine environment and unacceptably cruel to the shark.



"Sharks that are finned often list around on the ocean bed until they are attacked or they starve to death. Many people may not love sharks but they all see the cruelty in leaving a creature to die a painful and slow death.



"The shark finning trade is extremely lucrative and the punishments are miniscule compared to the rewards. EU law and monitoring need to change so that European fishermen are harshly punished for enacting cruelty and threatening some shark species.



"When these proposals come before MEPs I have no doubt that a few countries will seek to water them down. However, we will push for a rigorous ban.



"We need a ban on finning that enables fishermen to catch sharks in a way that puts conservation and humane treatment before making a quick buck."

Oceana, the international marine conservation organisation, has commended the European Commission on its proposal to amend the EU ban on shark finning.

Ricardo Aguilar, Research Director for Oceana in Europe said: “By opting for a fins-attached approach, the European Commission has heeded the advice of experts worldwide: landing sharks with their fins still naturally attached is the only possible way to guarantee that finning does not occur. The current ‘ban’ has been of little value for shark management and conservation, because loopholes make it impossible to even detect whether finning occurs. Furthermore, if all sharks must be landed with their fins attached, it will be much easier to identify the species caught, and therefore, to gather critical data about the status of shark populations.”

“A stronger ban on shark finning will bring significant benefits for shark fisheries management and conservation, not only in Europe, but in all of the oceans where European vessels are catching sharks,” added Dr. Allison Perry, marine wildlife scientist with Oceana in Europe. “We trust that the European Parliament and Council will support the Commission’s proposal, and that this positive step will be followed by action on other important measures that Europe has committed to under its Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks.”

The EU includes some of the world’s major shark fishing nations – Spain, France, Portugal, and the UK. The largest EU shark fisheries occur on the high seas, where Spanish and Portuguese pelagic longliners that historically targeted mainly tuna and swordfish now increasingly catch sharks, particularly oceanic species such as blue sharks (Prionace glauca) and shortfin makos (Isurus oxyrinchus). More than half of large oceanic shark species are currently considered threatened.

http://www.fishnewseu.com/latest-news/scottish/7116-eu-proposes-outright-ban-on-shark-finning.html