# CE2012169EN.01013701.xml

| 15.6.2012 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | CE 169/137 |
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15.6.2012

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CE 169/137

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Thursday 16 December 2010Support for strengthening the European Union ban on shark finning

P7_TA(2010)0497

Declaration of the European Parliament of 16 December 2010 on support for strengthening the European Union ban on shark finning

2012/C 169 E/18

The European Parliament,

The European Parliament

| — | having regard to Rule 123 of its Rules of Procedure, |
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having regard to Rule 123 of its Rules of Procedure,

| A. | whereas ‘finning’ is the wasteful practice of slicing off a shark’s fins and discarding the carcass at sea, and is driven by high demand for the delicacy shark fin soup, |
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A.

whereas ‘finning’ is the wasteful practice of slicing off a shark’s fins and discarding the carcass at sea, and is driven by high demand for the delicacy shark fin soup,

| B. | whereas finning is contributing to extreme declines in slow-growing shark populations, |
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B.

whereas finning is contributing to extreme declines in slow-growing shark populations,

| C. | whereas one-third of European shark species are threatened with extinction, |
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C.

whereas one-third of European shark species are threatened with extinction,

| D. | whereas the EU finning ban is the world’s weakest with exemptions to land fins and carcasses separately, and an excessive fin-to-carcass weight ratio, |
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D.

whereas the EU finning ban is the world’s weakest with exemptions to land fins and carcasses separately, and an excessive fin-to-carcass weight ratio,

| E. | whereas the Commission is considering a range of options for amending the finning ban (Regulation (EC) No 1185/2003), |
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E.

whereas the Commission is considering a range of options for amending the finning ban (Regulation (EC) No 1185/2003),

| F. | whereas Parliament asked the Commission to close finning ban loopholes in 2006, |
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F.

whereas Parliament asked the Commission to close finning ban loopholes in 2006,

| G. | whereas most scientists and the IUCN recommend that sharks be landed with fins naturally attached, |
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G.

whereas most scientists and the IUCN recommend that sharks be landed with fins naturally attached,

| H. | whereas Costa Rica has championed at the United Nations the ‘fins naturally attached’ method, which is being used in many Central and North American fisheries, |
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H.

whereas Costa Rica has championed at the United Nations the ‘fins naturally attached’ method, which is being used in many Central and North American fisheries,

| 1. | Calls on the Commission to deliver a proposal to prohibit the removal of shark fins on-board vessels by the second anniversary of the Community Plan of Action for Sharks (February 2011); |
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1.

Calls on the Commission to deliver a proposal to prohibit the removal of shark fins on-board vessels by the second anniversary of the Community Plan of Action for Sharks (February 2011);

| 2. | Instructs its President to forward this declaration, together with the names of the signatories (1), to the Commission. |
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2.

Instructs its President to forward this declaration, together with the names of the signatories (1), to the Commission.

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(1)  The list of signatories is published in Annex 1 to the Minutes of 16 December 2010 (P7_PV(2010)12-16(ANN1)).

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