Stop the EU Fin Trade - Update from Stefanie Brendl
A Message from Stefanie Brendl, Shark Allies Founder & Executive Director
If you would have asked me 5 or 6 years ago, I would have said a European shark fin trade ban was only a dream. But then the EU “Stop Finning – Stop the Trade” Citizen’s Initiative (ECI) kicked into gear in 2020 and they did what seemed impossible – by the end of 2022, they had collected more than 1.1 million votes from EU States and with that succeeded to initiate the process towards new EU regulation. And Shark Allies is now in the thick of it. I have joined the team in Brussels to do my best to shepherd this initiative through the first stages. There is no telling how long this will take, but we are taking it one day, one challenge at a time.
As of January 2023, the somewhat complex series of procedures have started and with it the clock is ticking for the commission and parliament to make up its mind about sharks. We will need all the help we can get. This is an international effort. Having many US States, Pacific Island Nations and finally a Canada and UK National pass legislation to ban the sale and trade of fins has paved the way, but now it is up to the EU leadership to do their part.
March 27th marked the date of the first public hearing in Parliament. With a handful of experts we presented arguments for the end of the fin trade in Europe, and with that, expressed the will of the more than 1.1 million EU-Citizens, and more than 100 partner organizations that support this effort. We received support from many of the members of parliament. Thank you to Francisco Guerreiro, Caroline Roose, Manuela Ripa, Ska Keller, Grace O’Sullivan, Anja Hazekamp, Maria Danzi, and Peter Schmidt for your passionate speeches, and the committee chairs for conducting such an open discussion. And thank you also to the Eurogroup for Animals for helping us navigate this crazy process so far. The fishing lobby made their appearance with the usual arguments, protecting the profits of industrial fishing fleets. But the overall conversation was extremely friendly and respectful. A nice change to some of the more rowdy regional meetings I have been to in the US and the Pacific Islands. If you are interested, you can watch the recorded public hearing here, be sure to select your correct language channel.
The current situation feels very much like a David and Goliath struggle. There are strong forces within the Parliament that are, by default, against limiting fisheries. Unless we do a hell of a job changing pre-existing convictions and showing the parliament that this matters to all of us, this may continue to be just a dream. Please stay engaged with the social channels of @StopFinningEU and @SharkAllies to see how you can help and real-time initiative updates. Thank you for your continued shark advocacy, we can see and feel your support abroad.