Yahoo Finance UK to ban shark fin soup, putting pressure on other nations to follow suit
The UK is to ban shark fin soup in an effort to halt the "indescribably cruel" practice of finning and help boost shark numbers.
A new law will make the import or export of shark fins illegal, also covering processed products such as tinned shark fin soup.
The dish, popular in parts of China and south-east Asia, is still served at a handful of restaurants in the UK, though the practice itself has been banned in British waters for over a decade.
Shark finning is a threat to shark populations worldwide. It typically involves removing the fin from the animal before returning it to the water unable to swim, where it bleeds to death or is eaten by other sea creatures.
The UK is not a major hub for the trade of fins, but the move is expected to put pressure on other countries to follow suit in an effort to boost shark populations. It comes as part of a series of animal welfare measures first announced in May, which include plans to recognise vertebrate species as sentient beings.
The plans are championed by Lord Goldsmith, animal welfare minister, and Carrie Johnson, the Prime Minister's wife, who is a long-time animal welfare campaigner.
143 shark species categorised as ‘under threat’
In 2019, a Greenpeace study found that Britain had exported more than 50 tonnes of shark fins over the previous two years, largely to Asian countries. Finning has technically been banned in the EU since 2003, but there are loopholes, including the ability for fishing fleets to remove fins from a dead shark.
It is also possible to import up to 20kg for "personal consumption" – a loophole thought to be allowing the supply to restaurants.
Of over 500 species of shark, 143 are categorised as "under threat" under the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Lord Goldsmith 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."
The Government said endangered and overfished species including the shortfin mako and blue shark would benefit from the ban.
Greenpeace found that the shortfin mako, the world’s fastest shark, which is closely related to the great white, was being particularly badly affected by finning, with up to 25,000 caught annually by Spanish and Portuguese ships in the north Atlantic.
‘It’s sending the right message before Cop26’
Shark fin soup is a historic delicacy in China, despite having little nutritional value or flavour.
Sharks are particularly vulnerable to extinction because of their slow growth, late maturation and low reproductive rates. As a top predator, their loss from the ocean has knock-on effects on fish populations and destabilises ecosystems.
Shark conservationist James Glancy, who previously campaigned for this move, said he hoped it would encourage other countries to follow suit as the UK prepares to host the Cop26 climate change conference in November.
"It's sending the right message before Cop26. It's closing important loopholes and gives us more leadership, but ultimately unless countries come together and agree on properly protected marine protected areas, and to stop targeting sharks, full stop, it’s really just a loophole-closing measure," he said.
Ali Hood, director of conservation for the Shark Trust said: "It is encouraging to see the UK addressing the fin trade as an element of overfishing: the principal threat to sharks and rays."
