On Monday (27.03.23), the official hearing on the EU Citizens' Initiative StopFinningEU took place before the EU Parliament in Brussels. With our support, the initiative had gathered 1.1 million signatures from across the European Union, calling on policymakers to end the trade in shark fins: #StopTheTrade. A large and expert delegation travelled to Brussels to present the petition to Parliamentarians. The initiative's spokesperson, Dr. Nils Kluger, first outlined the objective: to end finning by drying up the trade market. The EU is a central trading hub for shark fins – without this region, the trade becomes too costly and will decrease through market forces alone. Dr. Sylvia Earle, world-renowned scientist, then delivered an urgent appeal to the EU leadership to recognise the ecological importance of these species to the oceans: without sharks, ecosystems collapse, leading to severe negative consequences for humanity. After all, not only are most larger shark species protected under CITES, but the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals and numerous EU laws already aim to protect sharks; this initiative would merely add another necessary component. Alex Cornelissen of Sea Shepherd International supported these statements, drawing on his experience with illegal overfishing. In Brussels, the initiative is permanently represented by Stephanie Brendl, known for her conservation achievements in North America. She highlighted the economic value of healthy shark populations for tourism, a field in which she is currently conducting research. Finally, British expert Bradley Soule pointed out that the enforcement of customs and species protection regulations, such as CITES, currently fails because control personnel have no objective way of distinguishing the fins of protected species from those of non-protected species. The monitoring of trade bans in international transit is rendered artificially complex unless a simple rule is applied: "no fins without the shark carcass". During the afternoon, two attempts were made to undermine the necessity of such a trade ban through clearly inaccurate glossing over – however, the statements from the fishing industry lobbyist and a representative from Spain visibly failed to dilute the impact of the eloquent and scientifically precise presentations: there is an urgent need to increase shark protection, and a ban on the fin trade in the EU is a highly effective instrument to achieve this. The initiative – which largely stems from the dedication of several ElasmOcean members – does not seek to prohibit individual fishers from making their catch, nor does it aim to prevent coastal communities from consuming shark meat on a local scale: the global trade in shark fins through (and from) the EU occurs on a scale that intervenes so massively in the ecosystem that it must be significantly reduced. For this to function in day-to-day operations, a complete ban is the most effective and correct path. It remains to be seen whether and to what extent the EU will now take action. Stephanie Brendl in particular will be engaging with MEPs and Commission officials in Brussels over the coming months to advocate for this cause. The EU has the power to initiate the correct steps now. We call on them to do so. We call on you to do so. #Elasmocean #MeerSchutzDurchWissen #SeaProtectionWithScience #MeerWissen #stopfinningeu #EU #Europe #ForOceans #helpsavesharks #sharkprotection #savethesharks #savesharks #shark #sharks #takeaction #sharksavers #wildlife #conservation #savetheoceans #motherocean #marineconservation #nature #lernen #sealife #sea #oceanlife #fish #feelgood #noplanetb #ourhome
">
