Brussels, 06/06/2013 (Agence Europe) - Without debate on Thursday 6 June 2013, the EU Council of Ministers adopted a regulation putting an end to the barbarous practice of shark-finning by fishing vessels and throwing the remainder of the shark's body back into the ocean (see EUROPE 10736). Only Portugal voted against, wanting to be granted a derogation to the shark-finning ban. The regulation will come into force on the seventh day after its publication in the European Union's Official Journal.
The regulation says that all sharks must be landed with the fins attached naturally to the body. It does, however, state that, in order to facilitate on-board storage, shark fins can be partially severed and folded back against the shark's body, but must not be removed from the carcase before landing.
Council Regulation 1185/2003 put a general ban on shark-finning in the EU in 2003, but it allows member states to grant special fishing permits which authorise on-board processing, that allows shark fins to be removed from the carcasses. In order to ensure the weight of shark-fins landed corresponds to the weight of the carcasses on each ship, a weight ratio between the fins and the carcasses is provided, but it is very difficult to monitor and implement proper use of such ratios.
Under the new regulation, when EU registered fishing vessels catch, retain on board or tranship or land sharks, the state where the ship is registered must provide the Commission by 1 May of each year with a comprehensive report on implementation of the regulation over the previous year. The report must detail the inspections made by the member state to ensure compliance with the regulation on ships operating in its waters, whether or not the ships are registered in the EU and implementation measures taken in respect of failure to comply with the shark-finning ban. The flag state must provide details of the number of sharks landed; the number, date and location of inspections; the number and the various types of infringement of the rules, including full identification of the ships concerned and the penalties applied in each case; and the number of landings of each species for each port.
Blue-fin sharks (Prionace glauca) and mackerel sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus) are the species most often caught by EU fishing vessels, blue-fin sharks accounting for nearly 70% of the total number of reported shark landings. Other species, such as hammerhead sharks and silky sharks, are also caught, though not necessarily in EU waters. (LC/transl.fl)