Posted on 08 May 2014

Two key international shark fin importing hubs, Hong Kong and Singapore, report reduced demand for shark fin following extensive public campaigns against the unsustainable killing of sharks. Hong Kong reported a one-third drop in shark fin imports in 2013 compared to 2012. In Singapore domestic sale of shark fin to hotels and restaurants also fell by one-third, and prices fell by a similar percentage.
New Zealand has joined around 100 countries and states including Australia, the EU and US, to ban shark finning, but it will be three years before the ban comes into effect, meaning thousands of blue sharks – the sharks most often caught – may be killed before the law is in place.