Report on the operation of Council Regulation (EC) No 1185/2003 on the removal of fins of sharks on board vessels, as amended by Regulation (EU) No 605/2013, and on the international developments in this field

Summary:

Council Regulation (EC) 1185/2003 on the removal of fins of sharks on board vessels established a general prohibition of the practice of shark finning, i.e. the removal of a shark’s fins and the discarding of the remaining carcass at sea. Under this Regulation Member States could issue special fishing permits for the processing of sharks on board. To prevent finning, the Regulation established a so-called fin-to-carcass ratio for processed sharks.

This Regulation was amended by Regulation (EU) 605/2013. Article 6 of the latter stipulates: “Where vessels flying the flag of a Member State catch, retain on-board, tranship or land sharks, the flag Member State […] shall send to the Commission, annually […] a comprehensive report on its implementation of this Regulation […]. After the submission […] of their second annual report […], the Commission shall, by 1 January 2016, report to the European Parliament and to the Council on the operation of this Regulation and the international developments in this field.” This report fulfils the reporting requirement.

• Primary Source

ESO Records

Background information: Shark finning: The Council regulates against the practice http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-shark-finning-the-council-regulates-against-the-practice/

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