British fisherman to export shark fins

A British entrepreneur has unveiled his plan to catch and kill up to 300 sharks in UK waters every week in a bid to profit from the Far East's restaurant trade.

Fish dealer Trevor Page, from Lowestoft in Suffolk, said he has drawn up a contract to export dorsal fins to restaurants in Hong Kong and the rest of China, where shark fin soup is seen as a delicacy.

Conservationists strongly condemned Page's plan, which they said would have a detrimental effect on all marine life around Britain. The Shark Trust has sent a written statement to fisheries minister Ben Bradshaw, demanding that Page be prevented from fishing sharks in British waters.

"Sharks are an integral element of a healthy marine ecosystem and the suggestion that UK vessels should devastate our native population for the satisfaction of foreign markets is galling," said Ali Hood, director of conservation at the Shark Trust.

"EU vessels currently supply in the region of 27 per cent of the fins entering Hong Kong markets, a shocking statistic, but one that to date UK vessels have made little or no contribution to. It would be a lamentable step backwards if a UK company were to encourage this abhorrent trade, marketing the fins of an already vulnerable species."

Page plans to catch the tope shark, which is currently unprotected by law. His company WET Mullender would use lines to catch the sharks, he said.

"The shark population has dipped in the East, and we have a good supply, so it only seems right that we come to an arrangement," Page said. "I will only target mature tope, not younger ones. I want to work with conservationists, not against them. The tope is a lovely tasting fish. We have a lot of them, so why not sell them? I don't understand the problem."

Page is also looking at the possibility of catching other sharks found in British waters, such as the smoothand shark.

Source: www.divemagazine.co.uk