Call To Ban Shark Finning At Sea

Fisheries should be banned from cutting fins off sharks while still at sea, to stem a dramatic decline in their populations, scientists and conservationists warned yesterday. The move would close a loophole which allows unscrupulous fisheries to practise unlawful "finning", where sharks have their fins removed, often while they are still alive, before their carcasses are dumped back into the sea. Overfishing has seen shark numbers plummet by 90% since the 1970s. Rising demand for shark fins and meat is making them even more vulnerable and driving prices to unprecedented highs...