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New Zealand sets out to ban finning

Shark finning on Wetpixel

X-Ray magazine has posted an article about the New Zealand government implementing a timetable to ban shark finning. The ban will be phased in, with the first species being protected from October 2014, and all 113 species that exist in New Zealand waters being included in the ban by 2016

Conservation Minister Nick Smith said the submissions supporting the proposal to ban finning show New Zealanders’ attitudes to sharks have come a long way since the “Jaws” days. He said; “It is now widely recognised that sharks are an important part of the marine ecosystem and that we need to ensure the 113 species of shark in our waters survive.”

(Image from Shutterstock)