MSC Bans Shark Products
As part of shipping company MSC’s ongoing commitment to preserving the marine environment, the company has placed an embargo on any consignment containing shark fins or other shark-related products, with immediate effect.
The World Wildlife Fund has informed us that consumption of shark-related products, which are a culinary delicacy in some countries, is threatening an already endangered species, said the company in a statement. To this end, they have appealed to all sea and air freight companies to ban all shipments immediately.
“MSC is committed to operating a sustainable business. Together with other global ocean carriers, we are a firm supporter of initiatives driven by environmental associations for the protection of marine wildlife across the world.”
A 2014 report led by the IUCN Shark Specialist Group found that almost a quarter of all sharks and rays are threatened with extinction. Shark populations are decreasing at a rapid rate across the globe with losses of more than 90 per cent of some species in certain locations.
Sharks are sought for fins, meat, leather, liver oil and cartilage. However, it is the demand for shark fins in Asia that is the greatest driver of overfishing and population declines. Oceanic whitetip and hammerhead fins are high value, the porbeagle is mainly caught for the international trade of its meat and the gill plates of manta rays are highly valued as a health tonic in southern China.
WWF and TRAFFIC are working together to promote responsible shark fishing, improve the regulation of international trade in shark products and reduce consumer demand for unsustainably sourced shark and ray products. WWF has led campaigns in several Asian countries to persuade companies and consumers to stop buying, selling or consuming shark fin.
WWF’s Living Blue Planet Report on the health of the ocean published in 2014 found that the marine vertebrate population has declined by 49 percent between 1970 and 2012. In addition to the plummeting number of marine vertebrate species, populations of locally and commercially fished fish species have fallen by half, with some of the most important species experiencing even greater declines.