WELLINGTON, Aug 20 – A complete ban on shark finning or catching sharks solely for their fins in New Zealand waters will be brought forward by
two years, China’s Xinhua news agency reported.
Conservation Minister Nick Smith and Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy announced the ban will take effect from Oct 1 this year, Xinhua news agency”The ban reinforces New Zealand’s strong international reputation for sustainability and protecting our natural environment. We need to ensure the appropriate management of the 113 species of shark in our waters,” Smith said in a statement.
The government announced in January the first tranche of shark species will be covered by ban from October this year, a second tranche from Oct 1 next year and only the highly migratory blue sharks will be left until Oct 1, 2016.
The ban will also make it illegal to catch a shark, kill it, remove its fins and dump the carcass at sea.Shark fins are valuable for making shark fin soup, which is a delicacy in Asia, and for the production of many traditional Asian medicines.
Globally 30 percent of shark species are threatened or near threatened with extinction.
-BERNAMA
