The United Kingdom has finally banned the import and export of detached shark fins and shark fin products. This adds to the UK's "blue belt" efforts to protect and enhance ocean ecosystems that are overseen by their government.
Shark finning has been on the environmental radar for some time now. Sharks are overfished and most often they are caught, have their fin cut off and collected, then the shark is thrown back in to the ocean to die. A near complete waste of an animal and a natural resource. An insult to the species and the humanity, who rely on the ocean to survive.
These and many other threatened species are intrigual to the marine ecosystem. The practice of shark finning has already been banned in UK waters.
143 out of 512 described and 23 undescribed species of shark "are listed as ‘under threat’ under the International Union for Conservation of Nature – with different species ranging from ‘vulnerable’ to ‘critically endangered’."
"The UK is a global leader in marine protection, with our ‘blue belt’ programme protecting an area of ocean around British Overseas Territories the size of India, as well as plans to pilot Highly Protected Marine Areas in our domestic waters. The UK is also leading a global campaign, supported by over 80 countries, for at least 30% of the world’s land and ocean to be protected by 2030."
Read the article from Gov UK : https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-introduce-world-leading-ban-on-shark-fin-trade
Read "How Our Shark Finning Ban Helps Us Sustainably Manage Shark Fisheries" from the NOAA : https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/how-our-shark-finning-ban-helps-us-sustainably-manage-shark-fisheries
See a list of "International Shark Finning Bans and Policies" :
https://awionline.org/content/international-shark-finning-bans-and-policies
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