Millions of sharks are being slaughtered each year purely for their fins. Shark finning, the process of slicing off sharks’ fins for making shark fin soup is a multibillion dollar industry, which in most places worldwide is an illegal practice. The sharks are finned and thrown back into the water, while most frequently still alive. The process is a wasteful and inhumane way of producing a product from mass slaughter. Although the European Union does not permit the landing of fins without the rest of the body, the fin to body ratio used, allows for more fins to be landed without the rest of the body, making the EU regulation the weakest in the world.

Nature Trust (Malta) and Sharklab are members of the Shark Alliance and work together to promote awareness and educate the public on the plight of the sharks. “We, as consumers, must make the right choices when buying fish. Take the blue fin tuna, this species is at a serious risk of extinction if unsustainable practices in the Mediterranean Sea are not stopped. The long lines used to catch tuna, manage to catch sharks, some of which are also facing extinction. More than a third of the species of shark in the Mediterranean are faced with extinction. So when you go shopping, suggest to your food store or local fishmonger, to stop purchasing and reselling tuna and other endangered species of shark, until sustainable fishing management is put into place to help replenish stocks,” said Nature Trust (Malta).

“One can also write to the ministry and urge them to support, a complete ban of shark finning and to urgently implement the community plan of action for sharks, which was released last February. Only then can these endangered species be allowed to recover”, said Sharklab.

The animal awareness day on 20 June, helped promote sharks and the problems they face. Signatures were also collected urging fisheries to completely ban shark finning in Europe.

For further information on how you can make a difference in this world, visit the websites: www.naturetrustmalta.org, www.sharklab.tk, www.sharkalliance.org, and www.sharksmalta.org.