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. (Image from Shutterstock)
The Marine Policy journal has published a paper that attempts to provide an up-to-date and scientific assessment of the number of sharks that are caught each year. This number has been in dispute for some time, but the new paper seems to suggest that the number of sharks is around 100 million per year. The vast majority of these are caught to satisfy demand for shark fin soup. The CITES conference, due to start in Bangkok tomorrow will discuss adding five shark species to its endangered list.