During European Shark Week which coincided with Project AWARE’s Big Shark Shout Out 15 -23 October, Shark Alliance member groups and their supporters including AWARE divers, aquariums and other groups called on European Union (EU) Fisheries Ministers to protect sharks from finning and over exploitation.
By supporting European Shark Week 2011 and shouting out loud for sharks, AWARE supporters around the world contributed to encouraging as many people as possible to learn about shark conservation and help make the push to protect Europe’s sharks.
At least 165,000 people have signed the "Make the Push" petition.
Thanks to your support, we are getting closer to making shark protection in Europe a reality.
Given the EU’s influence on international fisheries policies and developing countries, improvements in EU shark policies are critical for securing a brighter future for sharks not only in Europe but around the world.
Project AWARE together with other Shark Alliance member groups are now handing over your signatures and a selection of photos and videos from last year's European Shark Week events to all EU fisheries ministers.
What is Shark Finning?
As Europe enters the final stages of debate on a proposal to close the loopholes in the shark finning ban, find out what finning is, why the current regulation isn’t good enough and why Project AWARE supports a policy of ‘fins attached’ with no exceptions.
EU Shark Conservation - a Changing Profile
The EU remains a global shark fishing power, but its record on shark conservation is changing. EU Member States are now taking a leadership role in applying international wildlife treaties to sharks, making significant strides toward limiting EU shark fisheries and securing international protections for the most vulnerable shark species.
Significant Progress but still much important UnFINished Business
On the one hand, the EU has shut down several unsustainable shark fisheries, established new quotas for many shark and ray species; fully protected several threatened species; and championed numerous shark measures under international fisheries and wildlife treaties.
On the other hand, closures were enacted only after populations essentially collapsed; there are still no limits in place for the main targets of EU shark fisheries; endangered species (such as hammerheads) are woefully under-protected; and the EU Finning Regulation still has huge loopholes that make it possible to fin sharks without detection or punishment.
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| Project AWARE is a steering group member of the Shark Alliance coalition leading the support for EU shark conservation |
Recent Progress and Priorities for Action
Two years ago, after sustained pressure from Shark Alliance coalition of which Project AWARE is a steering group member, EU Fisheries Ministers endorsed a sound plan of action for shark conservation. The plan sets the stage for sweeping improvements in shark policies. The EU's next big challenge is to promptly and fully implement the Shark Action plan. The first urgent steps are to:
- Close loopholes in the EU ban on finning
- Enforce science-based limits on shark fisheries before populations collapse
- Provide special protections for endangered shark species.
These steps are urgently needed to ensure sustainability of European shark populations and fisheries over the long term.
Key Opportunities in the Next Coming Months
Following a public consulation, Monday 21st November 2011, the European Commission announced a proposal to strengthen the EU ban on shark "finning‟, by removing the derogation that allows Member States to apply for special fishing permits. This means all sharks would have to be landed with fins naturally attached. Currently permits can allow at sea processing and landing of fins and carcasses at separate ports.
On the same day, The European Union (EU) became a signatory to the United Nations Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Sharks. The CMS Shark MoU was completed in early 2010 to promote conservation of migratory sharks, particularly the seven threatened species listed under the global CMS treaty: great white, whale, basking, shortin mako, longfin mako, spiny dogfish (Northern hemisphere), and porbeagle sharks. Twenty CMS Parties as well as cooperating non-Parties (such as the United States) have signed the MoU so far. CMS has 116 Parties.
The Commission’s long-awaited proposal represents a critical opportunity to take the EU finning ban from lagging to leading and to positively influence finning policies around the world.
"The Commission and recent Council's support of a strengthened EU finning Ban (by removing the allowance for special fishing permits) is a fantastic milestone. The proposal still need the support of the European Parliament before it can become law.There will still be a hard lobby against it so we'll have to push hard again in the coming months" commented Suzanne Pleydell, Project AWARE Director, who went to Brussels to welcome the proposal and recently met with UK fisheries minister Richard Benyon to hand over the petitions.
Your voice is the key to balancing short-term interests and ensuring that strong and enforceable shark conservation measures are implemented.
