TORONTO — A trio of Toronto councillors are preparing to introduce a motion at council to ban the sale of shark fins in the city.
Although more than 90 countries, including Canada, have banned shark finning, fins are still traded across national borders. Councillors John Parker, Glenn De Baeremaeker and Kristyn Wong-Tam are hoping to stop the sale on the homefront and influence other jurisdictions to do the same.“The practice of shark finning has everything to do with trolling the bottom of the oceans for the sharks,” Wong-Tam is quoted as saying by CTV News. “Their fins are literally hacked off and their entire body is thrown into the ocean where it sinks to the bottom… They are eaten alive by other fish.”
The fins are used to make shark fin soup, which is a Chinese delicacy traditionally served at weddings. According to WildAid, a conservation group, 73-million sharks are slaughtered every year to make shark fin soup.
Brantford, Ont., recently became the first Canadian city to ban the sale of shark fins.
