Great Britain is getting ever closer to banning sales of shark fins in the country.
Last month, a private member’s bill to ban the import and export of shark fins was voted through parliament with unanimous cross-party support.
The bill is now scheduled for three readings in the House of Lords and, if successful, it will then go to King Charles for “Royal Ascent” and become law.
Graham Buckingham, campaign director for Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation, said:
“Our goal of ending Britain’s ties with the global shark fin trade is within our reach. This country has a dark history of exporting around 20 tons of shark fins every year and it remains legal to bring up to 20kg of dried shark fins through Customs without needing to declare it. This bill could represent a significant blow to the multi-million-pound shark fin industry. It’s now down to the House of Lords to smooth its path to the palace.”
Since July 2022, the charity has been consulting the Labour Party MP Christina Rees who put forward the private member’s bill after the government failed to bring its Animal Welfare Bill, that promised to ban the import and export of shark fins, into law last year.
To help improve support for the bill, Bite-Back also created a briefing document on the issues for all MPs to reference. During the bill’s final reading in the House of Commons, MPs from different parties wholeheartedly endorsed the ban on the import and export of shark fins.
In her closing statement, MP Christina Rees said she hoped this bill would “drive up the standards of global shark conservation.”
Bite-Back says it will now turn its attention to educating and inspiring members of the House of Lords to vote in favor of a ban.
Follow the bill’s progress at www.bite-back.com.
