Environment China and Japan veto US-led effort to ban shark finning

I wasn't aware that shark fins were popular in Japan. What a shame.


China and Japan have blocked a US-led proposal to strengthen the ban on shark finning in the Atlantic Ocean, angering conservationists. The proposal, backed by the US, Belize, Brazil, the EU, and the UK, aimed to prohibit the practice of shark finning, which involves cutting off a shark's fins and discarding the live animal. Despite strong support from 42 of the 52 ICCAT member nations, China and Japan vetoed the measure.

But China and Japan, both among the world's biggest consumer markets and exporters of shark fin, refused to green-light the plan, which needed consensus to pass. Though Belize took the unusual step of calling a vote on the matter to bypass the requirement for unanimity Monday, at the end of the eight-day ICCAT meeting, the proposal was shelved. Sonja Fordham, president of Shark Advocates International who was present for the meeting, told POLITICO she was "deeply, deeply disappointed" the measure failed to pass despite support from an "unprecedented coalition of countries." "We are exasperated that a strong, enforceable shark finning ban has once again been blocked by essentially two countries, despite clear scientific advice and overwhelming support from governments and conservationists alike," Fordham added in a statement. She blamed "a lack of coordination" among the proposal's supporters for its failure, saying they seemed "caught off guard" when Belize called for a vote and did not push back against Japan's objections. "In 16 years, this was the biggest push [for reform] … and I'm just baffled that the proponents didn't defend their own proposal," said Fordham, who also hit out at the meeting's chair, former EU fisheries official Ernesto Penas Lado, for yielding to Japan and denying a vote.

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If you wish to give your opinion to the Ministry of the Environment, you can contact them via LinkedIn here. I did. I am so sick of my world being trashed for the sake of special interest groups.

The shark is used as raw materials of the kamaboko. Particularly, the pickpocket body of the sharks such as a blue shark or the mako shark is used for hanpen. The shark was used a lot for fish paste such as the kamaboko until prewar days. The meat of the shark has much quantity to be produced, and the color is beautiful, and this is because it was most suitable though I provide elasticity of the kamaboko. In addition, the myofibril of the pickpocket body of the shark is thin, and there is the property that is easy to win over air. Because the shark meat has few lipid contents, and the 呈味性 amino acid is included in richness, I have a superior characteristic as food raw materials. On the other hand, it is necessary to remove a part of the urea beforehand when urea is included in muscle of sharks and uses it as raw materials of the processed food. As for the main raw materials of the kamaboko, complaint, lizard fish, pike conger, walleye pollock, pilchard, 30 kinds or more including the mackerel are used in white-fleshed fish

Chondroitin was included in collagen, cartilage, and, in the line of the shark, "the line" of the oden class has been reevaluated as one of the health foods which helped joint and the beauty of the person mainly.


A first Japanese fishery improvement project (Fishery Improvemrnt Project, following FIP) for the long-lining of a blue shark and the broadbill began in Miyagi, Kesennuma. FIP is an international approach to improve fishery in the level that can acquire the MSC certification for realization of the sustainable fishery.

As for the blue shark, there may be much which I have not heard even if I know the target broadbill this time. But, in fact, it is used as raw materials of the hanpen which is convenient for oden and snacks and the shark fin soup.

I boast of top-class amount of production even if I look at Miyagi, Kesennuma worldwide at the best straight production center of this blue shark in Japan. Besides, *1 where Kesennuma performs the high use processing in the world from eminent old days and is utilized と to a supplement as for the middle bone and the shark cartilage to raw materials such as the hanpen as for the meat to sharkfin as for the fins thoroughly.

*2 where not only the blue shark but also the amount of production of the broadbill is the national first place, and national about 2,221 tons equal to 73% of about 3,033 tons is landed in Kesennuma in 2019.

FIP often intends for one kind of fish class, but is fished by the same long-lining because I grow it to the outer layer with this kind that two kinds are targeted for main fishery both. Therefore it applies to both in this FIP.