Taipei, July 10 (CNA) Taiwan will next year become the first Asian country to ban fishermen from bringing in dismembered sharks, as part of efforts to prevent finning, a local report said Sunday.
Taiwan's Fisheries Agency (FA) under the Council of Agriculture expects to implement a new regulation to force fishermen to keep shark catches intact until they arrive in port, with violators set to face fines or suspension of their fishing licenses.
Taiwan will be the first country in Asia to do so, said Sha Chih-yi, director general of the agency.
Finning is the practice of cutting the fins off sharks and throwing the animals back into the sea to die, as the fins are an expensive delicacy, while the rest of the fish is basically worthless in comparison.
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The agency will amend the regulations for fishing operations in the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean according to the Fishery Laws, and implement the new rule next year at the earliest.
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However, the fishing industry has claimed that the change will affect the freshness of catches and decrease profits.
... Intact shark bodies take up too much space and will therefore decrease the amount of catch that can be transported by about 20 percent, said Lin, adding that the price of shark fin is expected to increase once the law is implemented.
Taipei, July 10 (CNA) Taiwan will next year become the first Asian country to ban fishermen from bringing in dismembered sharks, as part of efforts to prevent finning, a local report said Sunday.
Taiwan's Fisheries Agency (FA) under the Council of Agriculture expects to implement a new regulation to force fishermen to keep shark catches intact until they arrive in port, with violators set to face fines or suspension of their fishing licenses.
Taiwan will be the first country in Asia to do so, said Sha Chih-yi, director general of the agency.
Finning is the practice of cutting the fins off sharks and throwing the animals back into the sea to die, as the fins are an expensive delicacy, while the rest of the fish is basically worthless in comparison.
…
The agency will amend the regulations for fishing operations in the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean according to the Fishery Laws, and implement the new rule next year at the earliest.
…
However, the fishing industry has claimed that the change will affect the freshness of catches and decrease profits.
... Intact shark bodies take up too much space and will therefore decrease the amount of catch that can be transported by about 20 percent, said Lin, adding that the price of shark fin is expected to increase once the law is implemented.
I would like to see Finlanding outlawed on Forumosa, i.e. a ban on Guy-in-Taiwan and others holding up Finland as some model country to be studied and copied.
Oh, le it be true and enforced.