Shark Finning by Stealth in Australian Waters

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Australians could be forgiven for thinking that fishing for shark fins is no longer permitted in our waters. Surely with such dramatic shark population collapses around the globe our Government would not permit this unsustainable practice by our own fisheries.

Well they do.

Way up north in the Gulf of Carpentaria, a major Australian fishery is currently targeting high numbers of sharks, mostly for their fins, to service the shameful international trade in shark fin.

In spite of the national ban on shark finning, a loophole allows sharks to be caught and their fins removed at sea, as long as the body is not discarded.

The Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries supports the export of shark fins from this fishery and ocean lovers everywhere must make a stand.

Sharks are inherently vulnerable to overfishing. Their life cycles are more like whales and dolphins; sharks are slow-growing, late to mature and produce few young. Sharks are also a keystone species and their removal has serious negative effects on marine ecosystems. We must act today.

It is totally unacceptable that Australian fisheries participate in the grossly unsustainable shark fin trade. Sign our petition and send your objections to the Queensland Government. And please help spread the word.

We can stop this if we make a stand.

Please make a short submission by 5.00pm on Friday, 30 October, 2009 at www.amcs.org.au/WhatWeDo.asp?active_page_id=527