existing EU measures offer insufficient protection of sharks, say Loopholes in the laws of the EU mean that ongoing illegal shark fins undetected, a report warns against activists.Fins is to cut a shark fins and discard the rest of the carcase back into the sea - a practice that the EU has regulated since 2003.
Marine experts call on the EU to stop issuance of special permits that allow fishermen remove fins at sea.
The authors state close to a fifth of the species of sharks, skates and ray are classified as endangered species.
"Waste and untenable mortality associated with fins pose a threat to the populations of sharks, fisheries, food security and sustainability of marine ecosystems," said co-author Sonja Fordham, Vice-President of the International Union for conservation of nature (IUCN) Shark Specialist Group (ASG).
"The more reliably to enforce a prohibition of shark fins is to require that sharks be landed with their fins naturally attached to the body", it offers.
"This method is being commissioned fisheries more, in the Central and in America North, dynamic creation of global change."
In the EU, shark finning is prohibited except when allowed special were issued which allows fishing in fins of sharks at sea, without the landing of the whole animal.
Dining room of fin
Under this Regulation (1185/2003), Member States are capable of issuing permits for fishing vessels exempt from the fins at sea "ban".
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Source: Fins of sharks in the report of Europe 2010
Of the exemption, the weight of the fins prevented harvest shall not exceed 5% of live weight of the shark catch.However, the authors have observed, some species shark fins is not generally represent 5% of live weight of a shark, creating a loophole which meant fins may take place unnoticed.
Globally, sharks are caught in fisheries targeted for their meat, fins, liver and oil. However, it is fins animals prized as these command high prices.
In comparison, shark meat is relatively cheap, difficult to store and took a lot of storage space. This is why the practice of the removal of fins at sea is used - it allows to collect valuable, drain the remaining carcasses, leaving more economically fish stock storage space ships useful.
Shark fin soup is a flat very price, traditional, festive and Chinese. The fins are considered the most valuable fish in the world, products extraction in the region of up to 300 euros/kg (£ 250 kg) in Hong Kong.
In contrast, shark meat retails for up to seven euros/kg (£ 5.80 kg) on the European markets.
The report – European shark fins: prohibiting the implications for reform of the fins of EU - has been produced, the authors have said, to highlight weaknesses in the current system.
"For too long, the EU has left the door open for shark fins"said Uta Bellion, Coordinator European Shark Alliance.""
"This report reinforces our appeal to the European Commission to propose legislation in 2011 with a truly reliable option to prevent the fins - a complete ban on the removal of shark fins at sea".
The European Commission is currently canvasing public opinion on the question of whether the option for the issuance of special permits should be revoked.
The consultation runs until February 2011, after which the Commission plans to present a proposal to revise the current regulations to the European Council and the Parliament for consideration.
In October, the United Kingdom Government announced that it would stop issuing permits allowing ships remove fins while at sea.
The Department site Web Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, officials wrote: "This means that all UK registered ships will now land sharks with naturally attached flippers everywhere where they fish."
"We do not believe that the UK fishermen were engaged in shark fins, but wanted to take a strong position and clearly support the landings of" fin - is ".".
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