In a press release, Elspeth Attwooll, (ELDR, United Kingdom), rapporteur for the European Parliament Committee on Fisheries, voices support for the European Commission proposal to provide better protection for sharks by banning finning, which consists of cutting off a shark's fins to make soup and discarding the animal overboard, a practice that is having serious consequences on several shark populations (see European Report 2707, same section).

The MEP took advantage of the publication by the American magazine "Science" of a study by Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada showing that the shark population in the North Atlantic has been declining sharply for the last 15 years and insisting on the urgent need for clear Community legislation: "The Commission's proposal to regulate the finning of sharks is a step in the right direction but I hope the European Parliament's Fisheries Committee - which is set to debate the report on this subject in February - will follow my recommendation to tighten up this text".-The European Commission has come forward with a proposal for a Regulation to prohibit finning, which consists of cutting off a shark's fins and discarding the remainder of the animal overboard. The prohibition would apply to all Community waters and all European Union vessels in all non-EU waters. Given the problems identifying the species on the basis of fin removal, the Commission proposes that the ban apply to all sharks, skates, rays, etc. The Commission nonetheless acknowledges the possibility of legitimate targeted shark fishing where catches would be used in their entirety. Cutting off shark fins would be authorised in this case if the practice was part of a process for use of the entire animal. In that case, the Member States concerned would be responsible for establishing and managing a special permit system for this purpose.-According to the Canadian study, the shark population has declined by nearly 75% in 15 years in the north-west Atlantic. The situation is irrevocable, especially for the hammerhead shark: scientists estimate that 89% of this population was slaughtered between 1986 and 2002. "Sharkfin soup is a luxury that must not lead to the extinction of the species," stressed the MEP, insisting that "action, not rhetoric, is needed now before it is too late".