No shark finning activity in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: Shark finning or the harvesting of shark fins and releasing the fish back to sea has not been carried out in the country, Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob assured.

He said sharks were not the primary target of local fishermen who focused mainly on the commercial species.

“Shark catches in Malaysia are low as in 2013, only 7,833 tonnes of sharks were landed and this contributed to just 0.5% of the total marine fish catch in the country.

“The entire shark could be fully utilised both as food or processed into other uses,” he said when launching a “Say No to Shark Fin” campaign here.

Also present were ministry secretary-general Datuk Mohd Arif Ab Rahman and Fisheries Department director-general Datuk Ismail Abu Hassan.

Ismail Sabri said to date, 27 countries and the European Union had banned shark finning, as well as trading in such products.

He said apart from raising awareness on the management and conservation of sharks, the ban was also seen to be able to reduce demand for shark fin soup by 30%.

Ismail Sabri, however, explained that trading of shark fins was still carried out and in 2012, a total of 1,894 tonnes of shark fins valued at RM19.5mil were imported.

The minister said it was time to reduce the demand for shark fin soup, apart from taking proactive measures for shark conservation by the Government.

According to Ismail Sabri, the campaign was conducted in line with the Cabinet decision on May 21 to ban the serving of shark fin soup at all official events.

He also called on all parties, including the private sector, restaurant operators and hotels, to support the campaign by not including the dish in their menus.

At the ceremony, Ismail Sabri also launched a National Shark Conservation and Management action plan book to ensure sharks do not become extinct. — Bernama