Canada’s Ban on Shark Fin Importation Act, Bill No. S-238, passed through the senate last week and will now move on to the House of Commons for final approval before becoming law.
The process of finning is currently illegal in Canadian waters, however, it remains legal to import fins. Bill S-238 seeks to change that.
“Shark populations are now dwindling. One of the main causes of this devastation is the market for their fins,” says Senator Michael MacDonald who introduced Bill S-238. “This devastation isn’t just dire for sharks – it should be alarming for humans too. Many of the large shark species are top apex predators and impact ecosystems in significant ways. The onus is on us as legislators to take action.”
Research by the University of Guelph found fins of several endangered and vulnerable sharks — including whale sharks, great hammerhead sharks and short fin mako sharks — have been sold in Canada. Of the fin and gill plate samples collected, more than half were species listed as endangered or threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
“Canada is the largest importer of shark fins outside of Asia,” Oceana Canada campaign director Kim Elmslie said in a press release supporting the bill. “In 2017, Canada imported 60 percent more fins than it did in 2012. Bill S-238 is crucial in our fight to save these graceful predators. There’s no coming back from extinction, but there’s still time to help save sharks.”
Canadians can voice their support to members of parliament to ban the import and export of shark fins from our country by signing Oceana Canada’s petition and speaking out on social media using #FinBanNow.