Oceana: Parlamentarians support strict ban on shark finning

Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament calls for sharks to be landed with fins attached.

Press Release Date: September 19, 2012

Location: Madrid

Contact:

Marta Madina | email: mmadina@oceana.org | tel.: Marta Madina

Oceana commends the Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament, for supporting a strict ban on shark finning in EU waters, and on EU vessels worldwide. Their report, which was voted on this morning in Brussels, recommends closing several loopholes in the current European policy on finning, by removing an exemption that allowed some vessels to remove shark fins at sea. As a last step, the text will now move to the Plenary where the final parliamentary vote will be taken.

We are thrilled that the Committee has seized the opportunity to rectify this long-standing problem,” stated Xavier Pastor, Executive Direction of Oceana Europe. The vote of the Fisheries Committee sends a strong message to the wider Parliament: the EU, which catches the largest share of sharks worldwide, must set a global example when it comes to policy on shark finning.

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