September 13, 2012 — A LEADING conservation organisation has released figures that suggest that the costs of EU’s possible decision to ban shark-finning are negligible compared to the amount the boats involved in the practice have been subsidised over the years.
The report, issued by Oceana, precedes next week’s vote by the Fisheries Committee of European Parliament over whether to put in place a complete shark-finning ban – a measure that the industry claims will cost them €9.4 million.
Yet, according to Oceana, Spanish and Portuguese surface longliners that are authorised to remove shark fins onboard vessels received more than €117,000,000 in EU subsidies from 1994 to 2007. The annual costs estimated by the sector represent, at most, 8% of this value. Of the subsidised vessels, 35 received more than €1,000,000 from the EU, while the sector estimates that the fins-attached policy would cost roughly €22,000 per vessel annually.
“European tax payers have invested a huge sum of money in these fishing vessels. They paid to help build them, modernise them, and support them while they headed off in search of new fishing grounds for sharks,” stated Xavier Pastor, executive Director of Oceana Europe. “Now, Europe is asking these vessels to commit to sustainable fishing practices for the sake of both the sharks and the future of the fishing sector.”
Next week’s vote on the proposed amendment to the European ban on shark finning (EC 1185/2003) is critical for improving shark fisheries management worldwide. The EU catches sharks in the Atlantic, Indian, Mediterranean, and Pacific Oceans, ranks second in the world for shark catches globally, and plays a major role in international policy related to sharks.
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