SHARK FIN SOUP

Early day motion 137, tabled 20 December 2000 by Norman Baker (Liberal Democrat). Signed by 54 members.

That this House is concerned at the trade in shark fins for shark-fin soup; notes that many sharks are literally butchered alive and their bodies thrown over-board as waste; notes that a conservative estimate suggests that about 100 million sharks per year are killed as 'bycatch' or in targeted fisheries and that in the last year the retail price of a single large Whale Shark dorsal fin has increased by 50 per cent. in China, with some being worth ú15,000; believes that this form of fishing is not only cruel but also unsustainable; and urges the Government to push for greater protection for sharks at international level.

Signatures by party: Labour 34, Liberal Democrat 15, Labour/Co-operative 2, Plaid Cymru 2, Conservative 1.