SALE OF SHARK FINS

That this House notes that the shark fin trade is decimating shark populations worldwide at a rate of over 73 million sharks slaughtered annually, resulting in a third of shark species now being threatened with extinction; further notes that when sharks are eliminated, disastrous effects can happen further down the food chain, including the collapse of commercial fisheries and degradation of coral reefs; notes that some shark populations have plummeted by over 90 per cent due to the shark fin trade; further notes that shark fins have no significant nutritional value and are considered unhealthy for human consumption due to the accumulation of high levels of mercury and other toxins in fins and flesh; and calls on the Government to create a legal basis for the prohibition of the trade and to support the proposed changes to Article 4 of EU legislation, EC No. 1185/2003 (prohibiting the removal of shark fins at sea), which would close a loophole allowing exemptions through the granting of special permits.