THE EU is wading in to ban the barbaric practice of shark finning.
By Amie Keeley
The European Parliament is supporting a declaration to stop the process, that sees millions of sharks killed every year just for their fins.
It comes after 50 per cent of MEPs signed a declaration for a ‘fins-attached’ policy, which would stop sharks – often still alive – from being thrown back into the water after having their fins cut off.
The shark population is in danger of becoming extinct due to the demand in China for shark fin soup.
With the numbers of Chinese migrants and visitors to Spain rising, the Olive Press is appealing to all Chinese restaurants to take shark fin soup off the menu.
The move coincides with a huge sustainable fish campaign, led in the UK by TV chef Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall.
His ‘Fish Fight’ campaign has highlighted the amount of fish which is wasted through ‘discard’ and is encouraging people to eat a wider variety of fish.
A series of programmes on Channel 4 included shocking footage of cod being dumped back in the sea dead, because it was caught over European set quotas.
Celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay and Spain’s Sergi Arola (see over) have also joined Hugh’s plight to change Britain’s fish-eating habits.
Major UK supermarkets Sainsbury’s and Tesco have seen a huge surge in demand for sardine, coley and crab as a result.
Although the UK waters are filled with a diverse selection of fish, Britons have been addicted to cod and salmon.
Ironically, many British species are considered a delicacy in Spain. Black Bass and Torbay are both hugely popular here.
I find this article rather gauling considering the EU won't lower their accessively high quotas that contribute to overfishing, retire old fleets and remove subsidies. In fact, Spain has been a global force in fishing. Nor longer confined to the Mediterranean, and have been fishing in the Pacific and along the edge of Antarctica as well. Who is calling the kettle black here????