Canada’s a step closer to protecting some of the ocean’s most important predators with the introduction of legislation that would ban the trade of shark fins. While Canada banned shark finning in 1994, which involves removing sharks’ fins and throwing their bodies back while they’re still alive, fins can still be imported and the global […]
Tag: shark fins
DNA test helps officials spot dodgy shark shipments
A multi-national research team has developed a rapid DNA identification method to help customs inspectors detect illegally traded wildlife products, beginning with sharks. The DNA testing protocol, published last month, detects nine of 12 commonly traded shark species quickly enough to enable officials to determine whether a shipment requires further inspection. These sharks have small […]
POLL: Should international shipping of shark fins be banned?
President Donald Trump has found himself in yet another controversy; for once, the focus is not on what came out of his mouth, but rather what he put in it. Over the weekend, Trump shared a dinner with Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi. According to reports, Trump was served a course of shark fin soup, which […]
POLL: Should there be a worldwide ban on the shark fin trade?
The ocean activist group Sea Shepherd says it has delivered armed Timor-Leste police on to a Chinese-owned fishing vessel in a dawn raid and is detaining the vessels for the police after it was found targeting sharks. Following a two-week hunt for the Pingtan Marine Enterprises fleet, the Sea Shepherd boat M/Y Ocean Warrior found […]
POLL: Should the importing of shark fins be banned?
Shark finning in Canadian waters is illegal, but due to a lapse in legislative action there is currently no national ban on importing shark fins from regions where the practice remains legal. And animal rights advocates say that has to change. Shark finning has actually been illegal in Canada since 1994, meaning that no shark […]
Victory! Major airline in China bans shark fins
In a major victory for sharks, China Southern Airlines has officially banned the shipment of shark fins on its flights. The airline is the largest in China and is based in Guangzhou, a city that’s gained notoriety for serving up shark fin soup. Not only is the shark fin trade incredibly cruel and wasteful, it’s […]
Slaughterhouse Said to Process “Horrifying” Number of Whale Sharks Annually
Whale sharks are being slaughtered: That’s the shocking news from a report issued by WildLifeRisk, a nongovernmental organization. A three-year investigation provides evidence that a factory in southeastern China is cutting up about 600 of the 21-ton (19-tonne) fish a year. It’s illegal—whale sharks are a protected species under Chinese and international law. But it’s […]
Has shark fin consumption peaked at 100 million dead sharks per year?
While a new study warns that up to 100 million sharks are killed annually, there are signs out of China that demand for shark fin may be on the decline. A study published last week in the journal Marine Policy estimated shark deaths at 100 million in 2000 and 97 million in 2010, suggesting a […]
