Treehugger
11 July, 2013
Shark fishing and finning is responsible for the shockingly steep decline in the populations of our oceans’ apex predators — as much as 99% drop among several species. Sharks, a vital part of marine ecosystems, are disappearing throughout the world’s oceans as they are caught as by-catch, actively fished, and most cruelly, finned.
Thankfully, governments around the globe are picking up on the problem and many are instituting stricter regulations or outright bans on fins or the practice of finning — catching a shark, cutting off the fins, and dropping it into the sea to slowly die by drowning.
The latest news is a big victory for these important animals: The European Union (EU) officially adopted a strict ban on shark finning late last week.