Close the loophole to stop illegal shark finning in our waters. We need laws to have “Fins Naturally Attached"

Minister

Mark

Furner

Government of Queensland

Minister

David

Kelly

Government of Western Australia

Minister

Paul

Kirby

Legislative Assemble of the Northern Territory

Dear Minister,

I am astounded to learn that illegal live shark finning can still happen in our waters because, unlike other Australian states, your government has not implemented a “fins naturally attached” (FNA) law. Because of this loophole, we have no guarantees that live shark finning isn’t happening in Australia.

Without this law, it is possible that our sharks - some of which may be endangered species - are caught and dumped at sea once their fins have been removed. For example, a fisher may choose to keep the highly prized fins of a large, endangered scalloped hammerhead shark and dump its body, so long as the pile of fins and flesh on their boats are within the correct weight ratio of fins to flesh.

Without their fins, shark species are very difficult to identify. However if a fins naturally attached law is in place, fishers will be required to bring sharks back to port in one piece, where the species can be identified. This data is vital to keep track of fishing activity to know if too many of any one species is being caught, and whether endangered species are being killed. This law will greatly improve fisher compliance as the current fins-to-flesh ratio is difficult to enforce.

Compared to global standards, our fisheries are lagging behind in best practice. The United States, European Union, several Mediterranean countries, and India have a mandated FNA policy.

Minister, I ask that you ensure FNA is written into law across all our fisheries. It is the most immediate and practical thing you can do to guarantee Australians that our sharks are spared from the barbaric practice of live-finning, and that our fisheries are operating to world’s best practice.

Additional Comments


Yours sincerely,

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