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The European Union has endorsed legislation that would make shark-finning laws in Europe stricter.

While finning has officially been banned in European waters since 2003, special permits have allowed fishermen to return to port with finned animals. A special meeting of the fisheries ministers in Brussels on Monday proposed laws that would require all sharks to return intact.

“In recent years, some shark populations have been severely targeted and put under serious threat as a result of a dramatic increase in demand for shark products, fins in particular,” the EU ministers said.

The EU accounts for 14 percent of the world’s shark fin catch.