Canada Bans Cruel Shark-Fin Trade

This week, Canada enacted Bill C-68, an amendment to its Fisheries Act that bans the import and export of shark fins nationwide. While the practice of “shark finning” (or removing fins from live sharks and throwing the animals back into the ocean) has been banned in Canada since 1994, outside of Asia, Canada is still the third-largest importer of shark fins, importing nearly 350,000 pounds of the cruelly begotten animal product in 2018. Beauty brand LUSH Cosmetics recently launched its “Shark Attack” campaign to raise awareness about the plight of the apex predator, donating 100 percent of sales of its resurrected vegan Shark Fin Soap to Rob Stewart Sharkwater Foundation, an organization dedicated to continuing the work of late ocean conservationist Rob Stewart. “We’re proud to have partnered with animal protection organizations and ocean conservation leaders for the last 13 years, including the Humane Society International and the Rob Stewart Sharkwater Foundation, in support of today’s historic step forward for sharks, oceans, and the climate,” Tricia Stevens, Charitable Givings and Ethical Campaigns Manager at LUSH Cosmetics, said. “Ending the shark-fin trade in Canada is an important step towards protecting sharks worldwide. As a keystone species, sharks are crucial to maintaining a healthy balance in the oceans which is necessary to sustain life on earth.” Earlier this month, Canada’s Parliament passed the Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act, which prohibits the wild capture, captivity, and breeding of whales, dolphins, and porpoises, and protects marine animals currently in captivity from being used for profit.