Labour MEPs welcome "shark finning" ban on board vessels

EU fishing vessels were banned from cutting off sharks' fins on board vessels, in a vote in the European Parliament

EU fishing vessels were banned from cutting off sharks' fins on board vessels, in a vote in the European Parliament today.

Shark 'finning' is the practice of cutting off a shark's fins while discarding the rest of the carcass back into the sea. Sharks' fins are then exported to Asia to meet the demand for shark's fin soup, an East Asian dish traditionally served at weddings and New Year celebrations.

"Shark finning was banned by the EU nearly a decade ago, but in practice special technical exemptions remain making the ban impossible to properly enforce and too easy for the unethical and horrific practice to go on unchecked" said Local Euro MP, Arlene McCarthy.

"We voted to put this right and supported an un-equivocal ban on shark finning. After today's vote, sharks' fins must be naturally attached when vessels land on shore.

"In the UK we have already ended this wasteful and unethical practice, the new EU law will bring the rest of Europe in line with UK rules"

Arlene added: "Today's vote closes a loophole in previous legislation which meant that it was extremely difficult to detect if 'finning' had occurred illegally. Special permits could be given so that shark fins and bodies could be landed in separate ports. Under the new rules, all sharks will have to be landed with their fins naturally attached.

"Today we saw a victory for Labour and our allies against the European right wing parties who wanted the loophole to remain,"

Vessel owners will now have to hire an independent body to carry out controls in the ports where local authorities are unable to do this, and freezer vessels will have to keep detailed records on their catches.

The governments of the European Union have already supported this proposal, so the European Parliament and council will now go into brief negotiations and the law is expected to take effect in 2013.