UK steps up fight against ‘indescribably cruel’ shark fin trade

A new ban will on imports and exports of detached shark fins forms part of a conservation drive, Sabrina Johnson reports

Importing and exporting detached shark fins, including shark fin products such as tinned shark fin soup, is set to be banned by the UK government (Cefas/PA)

New laws will give more bite to the fight against the “indescribably cruel” shark fin trade, the government has said.

Importing and exporting detached shark fins is set to be banned as part of a conservation drive, with some shark species currently critically endangered.

The new legislation will also extend to shark fin products such as tinned shark fin soup.

Shark finning is the practice of removing a shark’s fins while at sea and discarding the finless body back into the water. Unable to swim without its fin, wounded sharks either sink, are eaten by other predators or die from blood loss.

Lord Goldsmith, the minister for animal welfare, said: “Shark finning is indescribably cruel and causes thousands of sharks to die terrible deaths. It is also unforgivably wasteful.

“The practice is rightly banned in UK waters, but the trade continues, with serious implications for the future of these magnificent creatures.

“That is why we are now banning the import both of detached shark fins and shark fin products.”

Lord Goldsmith said the UK was already “a global leader in marine protection” with a “blue belt” of protection around British Overseas Territories the size of India.

He said: “Our action will not only help boost shark numbers, it will send a clear message that we do not support an industry that is forcing many species to the brink of extinction.”

There are 143 shark species listed as ‘under threat’ as a result of over-fishing (Cefas/PA)

A number of species of shark face serious population threats.

Out of more than 500 species, 143 are listed as “under threat” under the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with the status of different species ranging from “vulnerable” to “critically endangered”.

Demand for shark fin products is a significant driver for these pressures, alongside over-fishing.

It is hoped that banning detached fins from being brought into the UK will help to protect wild populations of shark species, such as the endangered shortfin mako shark and over-fished blue shark, whose numbers have both declined rapidly as a result of unsustainable fishing practices.

The presence and variety of sharks in marine areas acts as a key indicator for ocean health, while they also play a vital role in marine ecosystems, by helping to maintain healthy levels of fish below them in the food chain.

James Glancy, a shark conservationist, said the new measures to protect sharks were welcome. “The unsustainable rate at which sharks are caught by global fishing fleets, as bycatch or deliberately for their fins and meat, has caused a significant decline in worldwide shark populations.

“Sharks have been around for millions of years and play a crucial role for the health of our oceans yet, as a consequence of human activity, many shark species are critically endangered and face extinction in some regions.”

Ali Hood, director of conservation for The Shark Trust said: “The Shark Trust welcomes the prohibition in trade in detached fins as the next action in a history of proactive moves by the UK government, which supported leaving fins naturally attached as best practice years before adoption of the policy by the EU in 2013.

“It is encouraging to see the UK addressing the fin trade as an element of over-fishing: the principal threat to sharks and rays.

“And we’re noting that the UK is ramping up its engagement in domestic and international shark conservation issues, currently championing the science-based advice for a prohibition on mako in North Atlantic high-seas fisheries.”