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Shark finning crackdown

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Wednesday 29th April 2009

Fisherman holding dorsal fin cut from scalloped hammerhead

The Scottish Governments Fisheries Secretary has called for tougher restrictions on the practice of shark finning in Scottish waters. The announcement comes following the European Union Fisheries Councils adoption of the Community Action Plan for the Conservation and Management of Sharks, at a meeting on the 23rd April. This represents a stride forward in the protection and conservation of shark species, with the member states agreeing to make the reassessment of current EU shark finning regulations a priority. With the framework for conservation action in place, it is now urgent that each state starts to deliver its objectives, and already Scotland is at the forefront of this endeavour.

While shark finning is currently permissible in Scottish waters under permit, proposed regulations will require that an independent observer be present on all shark finning vessels to ensure that they comply with EU regulations. It is hoped that the extra cost of employing an observer by the vessel operators, as well as being monitored for compliance, will dramatically reduce applications for finning permits.

Shark finning has attracted a great deal of attention by various conservation organisations, which object to the practice on the grounds of it being unsustainable and wasteful. Once caught, the sharks have their valuable fins sliced off while still alive, but the bodies, which have far less value and would take up cargo space, are tossed overboard, where they sink to the bottom and drown. The fins are mainly exported to the Far East, where they are used in the preparation of shark fin soup, which is considered a delicacy. Sharks grow slowly, take a long time to reach reproductive maturity and produce relatively few offspring, hence they are extremely vulnerable to overexploitation. At present, the global shark fin demand is so high that it is driving many species towards extinction.

A number of sharks are found in Scottish waters, here are a few of the IUCN Red Listed species that would benefit from the proposed enforcement of finning regulations:

Blue shark (Prionace glauca)

image: Blue shark swimming, ventral view

Although the blue shark is among the more abundant, widespread, fecund and faster growing of the sharks, it is heavily fished worldwide, and is one of the most important species in the international shark fin trade. With an estimated 10 to 20 million individuals caught and killed each year, there is concern not only about what this is doing to blue shark populations, but also about the effects of removing such an important predator from the oceanic ecosystem.

Basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus)

Believed to reach a maximum length of over 10 metres, the basking shark is the second largest fish in the seas, after the whale shark (Rhincodon typus). A gentle giant, it feeds on tiny plankton through the five massive gill slits that almost encircle the head. Traditionally hunted for its vast liver, today the biggest threat to this species comes from the demand for its fins and from accidental by-catch in the fishing industry.

Porbeagle (Lamna nasus)

Heavily exploited for human consumption, the porbeagles body is used for oil and fishmeal, and its fins for shark fin soup. Stocks in the north-east Atlantic have been so severely depleted that the IUCN considers them to be Critically Endangered.

Visit MyARKive to see a selection of movies and images in the Finning Victims scrapbook.