YNYS Môn MP Virginia Crosbie is supporting a parliamentary bill that will ban the 'barbaric' import and export of shark fins that are used for food.

The fish have their fin removed and the rest of the body discarded in the practice to harvest the body part for use as a delicacy in shark fin soup, meaning they cannot swim and slowly drown.

Speaking in parliament last week, Mrs Crosbie said: “I am the MP for a coastal constituency so the marine world is significant to me and to my constituents.

“It is not known exactly how many sharks are killed or wounded each year by finning, but it is estimated that the figure runs into the tens or hundreds of millions.

“Although the UK banned the landing of fins in 2003, that has not stopped the import of fins—it was estimated that the UK imported about five tonnes of shark fins in 2020.

“Those figures equate to thousands of sharks, which are often landed and have their fins removed before their finless bodies are returned to the water.

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“The greatest threat to sharks is overfishing, and the shocking loss of such beautiful creatures for the sake of just their fins is further contributing to their decline.

“Studies have shown that wild shark populations have declined by about 70 per cent since 1970, and some species are now even considered critically endangered, so we risk seeing them disappear from our waters forever.”

She told MPs: “It is barbaric that we still allow the import and export of detached shark fins. I fully support the Bill, which will not only protect sharks but make a significant statement to the world about the UK’s commitment to seeing an end to the trade in shark fins.”

The private members’ bill, presented to parliament by Neath MP Christina Rees, has government support.

It has finished its third reading in the House of Commons and will now go to the House of Lords.