How do you combat the trade the destructive practice of taking shark fins – not least when fishermen flagrantly ignore controls?  – Irish shark fin fines   Management v outright ban? This is what it looks like.

Canada becomes first G7 country to ban shark fin imports 

Guardian ‘It was on a family visit to Hong Kong that Kristyn Wong-Tam noticed her uncle – a well-regarded chef – was the only person at the table not touching a bowl of shark fin soup. When he explained how fins are hacked from struggling sharks, before their bodies are tossed back into the water, the rest of the family soon lost their appetite. “We didn’t understand how the food came to the table,” recalled Wong-Tam. “But it made me think about whether I wanted to eat it, if my uncle – who was actually preparing the food – didn’t want to.” The experience became a pivotal moment for Wong-Tam: as a Toronto city councillor, she went on to lead efforts to stamp out the sale of shark fins in Canada.

More than a decade later, she has reason to celebrate: on Thursday, after years of failed legislative attempts, Canada became the first G7 country to ban the import and sale of shark fins. The bill is awaiting royal assent. “Shark finning is an unquestionably destructive practice, which is contributing to the global decline of sharks and posing an ongoing threat to ocean ecosystems,” said the fisheries minister, Jonathan Wilkinson. “The new actions … are a clear example of Canadian leadership on the conservation of our ocean environment.”  Click here to read more