In December, the EU Council of Fisheries Ministers decided to end all fishing for porbeagle sharks and reduce fishing quotas for spurdog by 90%, in accordance to scientific advice and proposals from the European Commission. This decision came just three months before Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) would debate the EU proposals to limit trade for spurdog and porbeagle.
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Over 90,000 citizens urge Spain to change course on shark finning rules
In January, representatives of the Shark Alliance delivered to Spanish authorities a petition signed by over 93,000 citizens from 16 European countries urging Spain to support improving the EU ban on finning and lead the EU toward a more effective finning regulation. For many years, Spain has ranked first in Europe for shark catches and has worked to obstruct the adoption of tighter rules on shark finning. The widely supported 2009 European Community Plan of Action for Sharks includes a pledge to strengthen the EU finning regulation. Holding the EU Presidency until July 2010, Spain is likely to preside over deliberations concerning these changes.
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