Campaign Achievements

The Shark Trust is continually involved in raising awareness of shark finning, lobbying against finning at an international level, and supporting other nations in adopting and implementing positive shark management measures.

Shark Trust Achievements:

2001 - The Shark Trust, together with WildAid, pioneered the campaign for a total ban on shark finning, bringing the issue of shark finning in European waters and by European vessels to the attention of the European Commission.

2002 - Ongoing lobbying which directly contributed to the adoption of EU shark finning legislation in 2003.

2003 - The Shark Trust and WildAid presented a petition of 83,000 signatures to Fisheries Minister Ben Bradshaw, campaigning for improvement to existing legislation.

2004 - The Trust continued its public awareness campaign on shark finning and lobbied for greater accountability of EU states involved in shark fisheries.

2005 - With an upcoming review of EU finning legislation, the Trust stepped up its campaign for improvements to the existing legislation.

2006 - The Trust was a founder member of the Shark Alliance, a not-for-profit coalition of non-governmental organizations dedicated to restoring and conserving shark populations by improving European fishing policy.

2007 - Under the Shark Alliance banner the Shark Trust united with shark conservation organisations across Europe to instigate the inaugural European Shark Week and putting pressure on the EU Commission to create the Community Plan of Action for Sharks (CPOA Sharks) they had committed to adopt in 2001.

2008 - The long awaited (CPOA Sharks) is finally released for consultation. The Shark Trust supports most of the CPOA’s objectives and continues to urge the EU Commission to adopt a strong CPOA.

2009 - UK Ministers commit to closure of shark finning loophole. All UK vessels, anywhere in the world, must now land sharks with fins attached. Read more.

2010 - The Shark Trust present European Shark Week 2009 petitions to Spanish authorities, urging them to support shark conservation. Read more.

2011 - The Shark Trust secured a comprehensive UK response to the consultation, making a strong case for Fins Naturally Attached (FNA). The Trust also met with the UK Fisheries Minister in February to discuss continued support for the FNA policy, as well as Permanent Fisheries Representatives and MEPs in Brussels to discuss the upcoming legislative phase.

➤ Download our Shark Finning Factsheet (pdf).