4SEAS

       European Shark Week 2009
  
This year’s European Shark Week took  place from 10-18 October. It was a unique opportunity for people across Europe to demonstrate their support for shark conservation and effect change.

Thanks to aquariums, dive clubs and conservation organisations, European Shark Week 2009 saw more than 200 activities and the collection of more than 100,000 signatures on a Shark Plan petition for EU Fisheries Ministers. The Ministers have since issued a strong response that highlights the plight of sharks and calls for prompt strengthening of the EU finning ban.  Indeed, the Ministers’ words reflect the concerns of a growing number of EU citizens expressed through European Shark Week.

In Gdynia Aquarium, the whole week was dedicated to the event. The public could see many movies about sharks, threads and their conservation and get to know information about their biology and ecology. There were also many games and art activities for children.

Predator turned prey
Turning the Tide for Sharks
    
Most European shark populations are declining from overfishing. One-third are threatened with extinction.  The EU ban on “finning” – slicing off a shark’s fins and discarding the body at sea – is among the world’s weakest.
   
Hope lies with the new Shark Plan, adopted by the European Commission thanks in large part to support from many of you. The Plan sets the stage for vast improvements in EU shark policies, including the finning ban.   Its success depends on collaboration and action by EU Fisheries Ministers and the European Commission.  These fishery managers need encouragement from the European public to follow through on the Plan’s initiatives and truly safeguard sharks.

Source: www.europeansharkweek.org