For many, sharks automatically invoke a sense of fear and an image straight out of a scene from “Jaws.” A shark may look scary, and sometimes an encounter with them can be fatal. (Note: On average, five out of 70 to 100 accidents result in death). But as humans, we are causing far more harm to them than they ever will to us through the shark fin trade.
Sharks are important to our Eco System
Sharks are an incredibly vulnerable species. Because they grow slowly and produce few young, sharks are exceptionally susceptible to overexploitation. Further, a healthy and abundant ocean and the communities that rely on it depend on healthy shark populations. Sharks are a critical keystone species. They maintain the balance of life in the sea and keep our coral reefs healthy. But global fisheries kill millions of sharks each year, and now they are in peril throughout the world. This cruel industry is largely unregulated and involves “shark finning,” or the removal of a shark’s fins while it’s fully conscious. Since shark meat is of little value to fishermen, only the fins are removed. Typically, the preyed upon shark is simply discarded back into the sea, either fully or nearly dead.
Vote now to protect sharks
Although the removal of fins on board of EU vessels and in EU waters is prohibited and sharks must be landed with their fins naturally attached, the EU is among the biggest exporters of fins and a major transit hub for the global fin trade. The aim is to end the trade of fins in the EU including the import, export and transit. To set up this law a total of 1 Million signatures form EU citizens are required. Different countries have different numbers to reach, depending on the country size.
Many countries such as Sweden, Spain, Slovenia, Romania, Portugal, Poland, Netherlands, Italy, Ireland, Greece, Finland, Denmark or Belgium haven’t even reached 10% of their targets yet (see the statistic here). We must change this now.
If you are a citizen of a country in the European Union, you can vote now!
Voting only takes a minute but it can change the future of sharks forever. Please vote now and pass on the information and voting link to as many others as possible.
The whole EU needs to work on this together. Save sharks. Love sharks.
