In China, during the 15th century, shark fin soup was served at the emperors' tables. By the late 20th century, with the rise of the Chinese middle class, it became a common delicacy at weddings. It is also served worldwide in high-end Chinese restaurants.
This soup is so expensive that the business around it is enormous, involving up to 150 countries. The FAO estimates that
each year between 60 and 250 million sharks are caught, primarily for their fins.
The fins are valuable, but the rest of the animal is almost worthless, which led to the practice of finning. Sharks would be caught, their fins cut off, and their bodies thrown back into the ocean, where they would suffocate and die in agony. This practice, besides being cruel,
is a waste of the fishing resource and continues in many countries.
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN EUROPE?Since 2003,
finning has been banned in Europe, and since 2013,
fishing for sharks (non-prohibited species)
is allowed but without discarding the body.
However,
European legislation still allows the trade of bulk shark fins from species that are not protected under the CITES convention. When only fins are transported, identifying the species is very difficult, especially since shipments often mix different types of fins, making it easy to trade fins from protected species and illegally captured individuals.
SHARKS: A KEY PIECE IN THE HEALTH OF OCEANSSharks are at the top of the food chain and
play a crucial role in marine balance, regulating and balancing marine life and helping preserve ecosystems. Without them, oceans wouldn’t be what we know today.
They have been on our planet for 400 million years, and their design is so perfect that it has allowed them to survive major mass extinctions, representing an impressive story of evolutionary success. However,
their populations have alarmingly dwindled in recent decades due to overfishing, and now one-third of shark species are at risk of extinction.
But the most concerning situation is in the Mediterranean, where shark populations have declined by more than 95% since 2008. Surprisingly,
millions of sharks are still legally captured each year in Europe, with Spain leading in both captures and the export of high-quality processed fins.
THE BAN ON SHARK FIN TRADE: A NECESSARY STEPPreventing the environmental catastrophe that would result from the disappearance of sharks means putting a stop to this profitable business. To do so,
it’s essential that Europe ceases to export shark fins to Asia and does not facilitate trade through its territory. This measure is already in place in countries like Canada and in some U.S. states.
Using the European Citizens' Initiative mechanism, a group of citizens has come together
to call for a ban on the trade of shark fins in the European Union, including export, import, and transit. A citizens' committee presented a proposal to the Commission, which was accepted on January 31, 2020. There is now a year and a half (until July 31, 2021) to collect signatures supporting the petition. At least one million signatures are needed, with a minimum from a quarter of the member states, to ensure it’s a widespread request across the Union. Once this period is over, the European Commission must formally accept the citizen proposal, which will then be presented to the European Parliament. If it is approved there, it will proceed through the usual legislative process.
You can sign the petition on the European Commission's website by entering your ID and nationality.
