September 18, 2012 — The marine conservation organization Oceana urges the Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament (EP) on Wednesday to vote in favour of the strict prohibition of finning so that all sharks are landed with their fins attached.
While this practice has been banned in the EU countries since 2003, the gaps in the current legislation makes it virtually impossible for the measure to be enforced rigorously.
The reform of this imperfect legislation is expected to be authorized tomorrow and to be later approved by the EP.
"With the largest shark fishery in the world, the European Union (EU) has taken the responsibility of internationally leading the shark conservation and management," said Xavier Pastor, Executive Director of Oceana in Europe.
"Tomorrow, the EP members have a critical opportunity to demonstrate that leadership demanding a ban that actually works," he added.
Under finning legislation, there is an exemption that allows Member States to issue special permits for vessels to cut the fins on board.
Oceana points out that with the current control system, it is very difficult to detect if the fishermen performed shark finning, especially because the fins and the trunks can be landed at various ports and at different times.