Enough with Shark Finning: one million signatures collected to call for a halt to the shark fin trade in Europe
It's time to stop the cruel practice of Shark Finning: a million signatures collected to call for a halt to the shark fin trade in Europe
Millions of sharks they are brutally killed all over the world. These endangered marine creatures, which play a key role in ocean ecosystems, are hunted mainly for their fins (known as Shark Finning), which are sold at a high price to prepare dishes considered delicious especially in Asia. To stop the cruel trade in shark fins in Europe, the citizens of the Old Continent have launched the ICE (European Citizens' Initiative) “Stop Finning - Stop the Trade”, which has just reached one million signatures. An important milestone that the European Commission will now have to take note of, by examining the proposals put forward.
If sharks could talk – they would say THANK YOU ONE MILLION TIMES! ??***Keep on voting ? www.stop-finning-eu.org…
Posted by StopFinningEU on Wednesday, January 19, 2022
Now we can count on the many voices of citizens on our side to put an end to the shark fin trade in the EU once and for all - commented Nils Kluger, spokesman for the ICE - The more citizens continue to vote, the stronger our mandate will be. . It is very important to ensure that a successful initiative turns into effective legislation.
The European Citizens' Initiative was also greeted with great enthusiasm by famous athletes such as Austrian tennis player Dominic Thiem and German footballer Kai Havertz, who expressed their support for the cause. Robert Marc Lehmann, a well-known marine biologist and German youtuber, also addressed the issue and many people followed his invitation to join the initiative, while in France the documentarian Hugo Clement supported the initiative to echo the initiative. .
But the mobilization against the shark fin trade had an unexpected resonance even outside Europe by activist, model and biologist Ocean Ramsey and actor Alec Baldwin.
Read also: Shark fins: The UK is the first European country to ban Shark Finning
What is shark finning
As anticipated, shark finning is an extremely bloody practice that consists in cutting the fins of the shark, often when it is still alive. Without fins, these marine animals sink to the bottom of the sea where they choke, bleed to death or are eaten by other predators.
Shark fins are among the most expensive seafood products and are purchased by individuals or restaurants to prepare dishes including the fine shark fin soup, a traditional Chinese specialty, whose origins date back to the Ming dynasty.
Shark fin trade in Europe
Several European countries are involved in the shark fin business. It is estimated that around 3.500 tonnes of fins are exported from the EU each year, for a total value of around € 52 million.
In fact, the EU regulation "Fins Naturally Attached" - in force since 2013 - prohibits without exception the storage, transshipment and landing of all shark fins in European waters. This implies that the dead animal must be loaded whole, and only in port can the fins be removed.
However, shark fins can still be traded legally across Europe. The ICE was born precisely to ask for a legislative change to the European Union that provides for the complete ban on the import, export and transit of shark fins.
Fonte: Stop Finning
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