Taiwan to ban shark finning from 2012

Conservationists warn loopholes, bribes and weak enforcement could jeopordise new law against practice.

shark fin

Taiwan, which has the fourth largest shark-fishing industry in the world, has passed a new law to ban shark finning.

The practice of cutting off the fins, which are used in soup, and throwing the bodies back into the sea has been blamed for the 80 per cent drop in shark populations.

The ban, which is due to take effect next year, has been welcomed by conservationists but they say it does not go far enough.

Al Jazeera’s Tarek Bazley reports.

Source: Al Jazeera