EU Fishing Rules Take Blame For Extirpation Of Sharks - Reuters

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LONDON - Lax European Union policies play a leading role in depleting shark numbers not just in European waters but around the world, a report said on Wednesday. Sharks are vital to the ecological balance of the oceans but, because of their slow growth rate and lengthy pregnancies, are also among the most vulnerable.

The Shark Alliance, a coalition of non-governmental organisations dedicated to shark conservation, said not only did loopholes in EU regulations allow shark finning, but the few catch limits imposed were well above scientific recommendations. "Europe is playing a lead role in the overfishing, waste and depletion of the world's sharks," the report said. "EU restrictions on shark finning remain among the weakest in the world and no overall plan to manage EU shark fisheries and restore depleted populations exists."

Shark finning -- slicing off a shark's fins for the growing Asian shark-fin soup market and discarding the body -- is banned by many countries which insist that bodies are landed with fins, the report said.

But it said EU rules allowed fins and bodies to be landed separately rendering the regulations "all but meaningless" and undermining finning bans on a global scale.

EDIT

http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/37893/story.htm