Shark Finningby Asmita Pramanik | 30-06-2018 18:52 |
|---|
 Shark Finning This dire act committed by many has led to the drastic depletion of the population of sharks all over the world. As the name suggests, Shark finning is the act of acquiring fins of sharks often while they are alive, causing extreme pain for the poor creatures. This sharks are sometimes, then led back into their habitat, but without their fins. Just as the arrival back into their safe haven gives them peace, they slowly sink to the bottom of the ocean due to the inability to move, and die painful deaths. Estimates have shown that more than 100 million sharks are killed annually for their fins alone. This is because the economic value of shark fin is very high as it is seen as a delicacy or 'prestige' foodstuff - and a bowl of shark fin soup can fetch very high prices in expensive restaurants. Wildlife crime such as trading in illegally caught shark fin is the third highest global black-market crime after gun and drug running which stands as another reason why shark finning should be brought to a complete halt. SHARK PROTECTION PLAN IN THE UAE Under the watch of the UAE environment ministry, shark finning was declared illegal in 2011 in the UAE and of the estimated 2,000 metric tonnes of sharks caught annually in recent years in UAE waters, only 60 metric tonnes are estimated to comprise shark fins. In February 2014, seven Arab countries including the UAE signed an international agreement in Dubai to protect migrating sharks in Middle East waters from illegal trade. Ministry of Climate Change and Environment launched its ?National Plan of Action (NPOA) for the Conservation and Management of Sharks 2018-2021' in the UAE which lists out objectives such as enhancing knowledge of shark species and their role in the ecosystem among the population, implementing effective policy, legislation and enforcement mechanisms and developing a national, regional and global cooperation framework, enabling effective conservation through capacity building, and running educational and outreach programs to raise public awareness has seen great progress in recent times. These continuous efforts by the ministry has been very successful in bringing this serious issue to the forefront to which each and every citizen has been seen contributing through art competitions, societal campaigns etc. with great vigour. |
