SHARK FIN SOUP

Motion Text

That this House is concerned at the trade in shark fins for shark-fin soup; notes that many sharks are literally butchered alive and their bodies thrown over-board as waste; notes that a conservative estimate suggests that about 100 million sharks per year are killed as 'bycatch' or in targeted fisheries and that in the last year the retail price of a single large Whale Shark dorsal fin has increased by 50 per cent. in China, with some being worth ú15,000; believes that this form of fishing is not only cruel but also unsustainable; and urges the Government to push for greater protection for sharks at international level.