National laws, multi-lateral agreements, regional and global recommendations as of April 8th 2010
|
RFMOs |
Date |
Requirement |
| International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) |
2004 |
The ICCAT finning ban requires full utilisation (defined as retention by thefishing vessel of all parts of the shark excepting head, guts and skins, to the point of first landing) of entire shark catches. Fins should not total more than 5% of the weight of the sharks onboard. |
| General Fisheries Commission of the Mediterranean (GFCM) |
2005 |
Same as ICCAT. Requires full utilisation (defined as retention by thefishing vessel of all parts of the shark excepting head, guts and skins, to the point of first landing) of entire shark catches. Fins should not total more than 5% of the weight of the sharks onboard. |
| Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) |
2005 |
Same as ICCAT – full utilisation (defined as retention by the fishing vessel of all parts of the shark excepting head, guts and skins, to the point of firstlanding) of entire shark catches. Fins should not total more than 5% of theweight of sharks onboard. |
| Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) |
2005 |
Same as ICCAT – full utilisation (defined as retention by the fishing vessel of all parts of the shark excepting head, guts and skins, to the point of first landing) of entire shark catches. Fins should not total more than 5% of the weight of sharks onboard. |
| Southeast Atlantic Fisheries Commission (SEAFO) |
2006 |
Same as ICCAT – full utilisation (defined as retention by the fishing vessel of all parts of the shark excepting head, guts and skins, to the point of first landing) of entire shark catches. Fins should not total more than 5% of the weight of sharks onboard. |
| North Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO) |
2005 |
Similar to ICCAT and IATTC. |
| Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) |
2008 |
Full utilisation (retention of all parts of the shark excepting head, guts, and skins), to the first point of landing or transshipment of retained sharks. Fins should make up no more than 5% of the weight of sharks onboard. Fins may be landed and transhipped separately. |
| Commission for the Conservation of Antartic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) |
2006 |
Directed fishing on shark species in the Convention Area, for purposes other than scientific research, is prohibited. Incidental catch of sharks taken in other fisheries should be released alive as far as possible. |
| North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) |
2007 |
Full utilisation (all parts of the sharks except head and guts to the point of first landing) of entire shark catches required. Shark fins should not total more than 5% of the weight of sharks. Fins may be landed and transhipped separately from other shark parts. |
| States | Date | Law |
|
Australia |
Various |
States and Territories govern their own waters, which extend to three nautical miles offshore. Central government regulates ‘Commonwealth’ (Federal) waters, from three to 200 nautical miles offshore. Most States and Territories ban finning, and some require that sharks be landed with their fins naturally attached. |
|
Brazil |
1998 |
Prohibits landing of shark fins without the corresponding carcasses. The total weight of fins shall not exceed 5% of the total weight of carcasses, all carcasses and fins must be unloaded and weighed and the weights reported to the authorities. |
|
Canada |
1994 |
Finning in Canadian waters and by any Canadian licensed vessel fishing outside Canada’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is prohibited. When landed, the fins must not weigh more than 5% of the dressed weight of the shark. |
|
Cap Verde |
2005 |
Shark finning is prohibited throughout the EEZ. |
|
Colombia |
2007 |
All sharks must be landed with their fins naturally attached to their bodies. |
|
Costa Rica |
2001- 2006 |
Regulation AJDIP/47-2001 required fins to be landed attached to shark carcasses. This was replaced by AJDIP/415-2003, permitting fins to be landed separately from carcasses, but the “fins-attached” requirement was reinstated in 2006. |
|
Ecuador |
2004 |
Directed fishing for sharks is banned in all Ecuadorian waters, but sharks caught in “continental” (i.e. not Galapagos) fisheries may be landed if bycaught. Finning is not permitted in any fishery. A previous ban on trade in shark fins was lifted in 2007. |
|
El Salvador |
2006 |
Shark finning is prohibited. Sharks must be landed with at least 25% of each fin still attached in the natural way. The sale or export of fins is prohibited (be they fresh, frozen or dried) without the corresponding body. |
|
Egypt |
? |
Shark fishing is prohibited throughout Egyptian Red Sea territorial waters to 12 miles from the shore. |
|
England and Wales |
2009 |
All sharks must be landed with their fins naturally attached. |
|
European Union |
2009 |
Prohibits finning in EU waters and by EU vessels worldwide. Requires sharks to be landed with fins naturally attached, unless a Special Permit has been issued to allow onboard removal of fins. |
|
Israel |
1980 |
All elasmobranchs are protected in Israeli waters |
|
Mexico |
2007 |
Shark finning is prohibited. Shark fins must not be landed unless the bodies are on board the vessel. |
|
Namibia |
2000 |
The Act generally prohibits discards of harvested or bycaught marine resources.Namibia’s National Shark Plan, adopted in 2003, recommends the formulationof legislation under the Marine Resources Act to prohibit finning of any sharkspecies. |
|
Nicaragua |
2004 |
Prohibits vessels from having fins on board or from landing land fins that weigh more than 5% of the total weight of the sharks. Those who wish to export fins must first prove that the meat has been sold. |
|
Oman |
? |
Sharks must be landed, transported, sold or disposed of whole. It is strictly forbidden to throw away any shark part or shark waste in the sea or the shores of the Sultanate of Oman. It is also prohibited to land shark fins separated from the body. |
|
Palau |
2009 |
All shark fishing is prohibited in Palau |
|
Panama |
2006 |
Shark finning is prohibited in all Panamanian waters. Industrial fishers must land sharks with fins attached naturally. Artisanal fishers may land the fins separately but the weight ratio must be no more than 5% fins to whole weight of sharks. |
|
Seychelles |
2006 |
Shark finning is prohibited. |
|
South Africa |
1998 |
Sharks caught in South African waters must be landed, transported, sold or disposed of whole (they can be headed and gutted). However, fins from sharks caught in international waters may be landed in South Africa with fins detached from carcasses. |
|
Spain |
Removal of fins and discarding of the carcass at sea is prohibited. | |
|
United States |
Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico 2008 |
All sharks must be landed with their fins fully or partially attached in the natural way in federal waters in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. |
|
Pacific As at April 2010 |
A new bill requiring fins to remain attached to carcasses had been passed by the House, but the Senate decision on this fins-attached law is still pending. | |
| Multi-lateral agreements | Date | Recommendation/Resolution |
| United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) |
1999 |
The International Plan of Action for sharks calls on all States to minimise waste and discards, such as through requiring the retention of sharks from which fins are removed. |
| United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) |
2007 |
Calls on all States to consider requiring sharks to be landed with their fins naturally attached. |
| IUCN – World Conservation Union |
2008 |
Calls on States with fisheries that capture sharks, whether in directed fishery activities or as accidental by-catch of other fisheries, to require at the point of first landing that sharks be landed only if their fins are naturally attached to their bodies, though allowing for partial detachment of fins to permit efficient storage and species identification. |
