"Atlantic 'shark finning' ban signed"

This is brilliant news, it was about time!


NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AP) -- More than 60 countries agreed Sunday to ban the killing of sharks for their fins in the Atlantic Ocean, a move that conservationists hope will increase protection of threatened species around the world.

(…)The agreement bans the practice known as shark finning in which fishermen slice off a shark's fin and throw the carcass overboard, leaving room for more fins. Shark fins are a delicacy in Asian countries and command high prices: shark fin soup sells for more than $100 in Singapore, according to WildAid, an environmental group. (…)

(…)ICCAT, which includes 63 nations, also agreed to collect more data on shark catches and identify nursery areas. (…) According to the United Nations, more than 100 million sharks are killed each year. A study last year by Dalhousie University marine scientists estimated that 90 percent of the world's large fish -- including sharks -- have disappeared since 1950.(…) "Sharks are exceptionally slow growing, and they take many decades to recover once they're depleted. They warrant extra cautious management," Fordham said.

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