Update: On July 5th, the EU Commission issued its official response to the initiative. In it, the EU Commission is committing to launching an impact assessment by the end of 2023 in order to determine the environmental, economic, and sociological consequences of the "Fins Naturally Attached" regulation.
Add your name to the official letter to end the shark fin trade. We are urging decision-makers in the European Commission, Council, Parliament and national governments of the EU, to stop this horrific trade.
For decades, the shark fin trade has been the leading cause of the overfishing of sharks. Many countries, including Canada, the UK, and the United States, have taken the necessary steps to end their participation in the trade — but the European Union still lags behind.
The European shark fin trade is the single largest supplier of shark fins to the Asian fin markets, contributing 45% of the total fins in the global trade. Shark populations have declined by 70% in the High Seas in the last 50 years and the shark fin trade is a key contributor.
“Stop Finning — Stop the Trade” is a movement that has been underway to ask the leaders to take action against the trade of shark fins. More than 1.1 million EU citizens have signed, reaching the threshold required for the European Commission to respond.
The European Commission will need to detail what actions it will propose in response to the EU Citizens Initiative — but it can still fully reject the demand to outlaw the shark fin trade. The first decision deadline is July 11th, 2023, when the EU Commission will deliver its initial proposal.
We can’t let up the pressure now. Join us in urging the European Commission and Parliament, and national government representatives, to finally end the EU’s enablement of the shark fin trade.
Today, a third of all shark and ray species are already threatened by extinction due to unregulated commercial fisheries. Despite conclusive scientific proof to the contrary, the industrial fishing lobby continues to spread misinformation, claiming that shark populations are stable and that their overexploitation of sharks is sustainable.
As a global community, we cannot stand by and watch as the ocean’s biodiversity is irreparably destroyed. Pacific Island Nations, the US, Canada and the UK have taken action and banned the trade of shark fins. We now call on Europe to act.
Add your name to the letter to demand a #FinBanNow.
Click here to view the official letter.
