Shark fin conservation...It's all in the loophole

Newly revealed EU loopholes allow special permits for shark finning by EU member nations.

Shark finning is banned in the EU but under present rules member states may issue special permits to exempt fishing vessels from the finning-at-sea prohibition.

Sonja Fordham of the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Shark Specialist Group is calling on EU member nations to close the loophole.

As with any multi-national conservation agreements, the devil is in the fine print. Closing loopholes and enforcement are the second act to serious shark conservation efforts.