Taiwan has passed a law that will make it illegal, beginning next year, for fishermen to bring shark fins minus the rest of the carcasses to port, a measure designed to curtail the cruel and wasteful practice of shark finning (see Reuters and Al Jazeera video reports below.)
Taiwan, which has the world's fourth-largest shark fishery, becomes the first nation in Asia to adopt such a measure. Shark fins, which are used to make soup, are most popular in Chinese communities. The soup is considered a delicacy and status symbol; a single bowl can sell for up to $200 per bowl.
Shark finning entails slicing fins from captured sharks and tossing the rest of the shark overboard, often while it's still alive, to make room for more fins. Taiwan's law is designed to encourage the landing of the entire shark so the rest of the meat isn't wasted, and so fewer sharks are killed.
While this appears to be a positive step toward shark conservation -- shark finning is responsible for the killing of up to 75 million sharks per year -- some say it doesn't go far enough to protect against an unsustainable method of fishing.
For example, Taiwanese fishermen may still land fins in other nations. Another concern is that some fishermen will simply bribe inspectors hired to enforce the new law. Additionally, the new law does not reduce the number of sharks that can be caught each year.
See the videos for more information. Both contain graphic footage that helps to reveal the essence of finning.
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