Green ministry prohibits removal of shark fins
24 Aug 2013 11:29 PM GMT
In an effort to stop the hunting of sharks and to enable the enforcement agencies to monitor the illegal hunting/poaching of the species Minister of Environment and Forests, Jayanthi Natarajan on Friday approved a policy for prohibiting the removal of shark fins on board a vessel in the sea.
The policy prescribes that any possession of shark fins that are not naturally attached to the body of the shark, would amount to hunting of a Schedule I species. The Policy calls for concerted action and implementation by the concerned State Governments through appropriate legislative, enforcement and other measures.
Due to high demand of shark fines in the shark fin-soup industry, it has been reported that the fins of the sharks captured in the mid sea are removed on the vessel and the de finned sharks are thrown back in the sea and has led to declining population of Schedule I species.
The policy prescribes that any possession of shark fins that are not naturally attached to the body of the shark, would amount to hunting of a Schedule I species. The Policy calls for concerted action and implementation by the concerned State Governments through appropriate legislative, enforcement and other measures.
Due to high demand of shark fines in the shark fin-soup industry, it has been reported that the fins of the sharks captured in the mid sea are removed on the vessel and the de finned sharks are thrown back in the sea and has led to declining population of Schedule I species.
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