China bans shark finning.... win?

Article from Dive.in

China just banned shark finning! Huge step in the Right Direction!

The biggest importer and consumer of sharks are now banning shark fin soup. China’s government has, according to the Chinese news agency Xinhua, made a list of 420 endangered species that is no longer legal to consume, import or sell. And among the animals on the list are sharks.

The punishment for breaking this new ban will be up to 10 years in prison. If this is uphold it would have a big effect for the fast decreasing shark population.

We, here at DIVE.in, have not yet seen the list and can therefore not confirm if the ban covers all sharks or if it’s only a few individual sharks.

Why is it so important to stop shark finning? The last couple of years we’ve seen a dramatic decrease in the shark population. Many areas before known for shark dives have long been “out of business” shark wise. The demand of sharks fin has been so high that our ocean now is nearly emptied for sharks.

Organizations like Shark Savers has been fighting a long and hard battle against a booming shark fin industry, but now it looks like there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

What is Shark fin soup Shark fin soup is a delicacy in some Asian countries, and is eaten in large amounts in China. As the fins are a very small part of the shark the fishermen’s, to save space, cuts off the fins and drops the shark body back in the ocean.

Here you can read more about what shark fin soup is.

Will this solve the problem?

It’s hard to know what will happen now. This is definitely a step in the right direction, and hopefully we’ll still have sharks in our oceans in ten years.

Do you know anything about the Chinese shark ban? We are looking for more updates and angels on this story, so if you know anything tell us in a comment or email me at Torben@dive.in

Until we know more show your support at #SayNoToSharksFin or #imFINished

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