“FROM a conservation perspective we are very concerned about our sharks,” said Dr Jean Harris of Wildland Trust.

Shark finning is killing an estimated 100 million sharks annually. This practice is mainly driven by a demand for a delicacy in the East known as shark fin soup. The soup is a symbol of prosperity and is traditionally served on special occasions such as weddings.

“Illegal fishing, bycatch and shark finning are depleting global shark populations at a dramatic rate, resulting in a large percentage of shark species being identified as threatened and endangered,” added Dr Harris.

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In a bid to put an end to shark finning, 57 signatory parties from academia, retail, fisheries, the NPO sector and even the South African Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries have signed an anti-shark finning letter in a bid to stop finning from being tolerated and continuing within Marine Stewardship Council certified fisheries.

The Marine Stewardship Council’s policy on shark finning states in short that the Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) should not certify or maintain the certification of a fishery when there is objective, verifiable evidence that indicates shark finning is taking place.

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“The CABs have repeatedly made determinations on the likelihood of the existence of finning, despite noting a lack of data. If finning, bycatch, and compliance data are unavailable or insufficient, CABs should be prohibited from certifying the fishery,” the letter stated.

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