Sharks have been around for over 400 million years, they are a keystone species in their environments and without them it would cause a trophic cascade negatively effecting the entire ecosystem of the oceans. The process by which shark fins are obtained is often brutal and totally inhumane and is also so wasteful, the shark which is usually still alive after being finned is then thrown back into the ocean to die a cruel painful death. The process of finning is also indiscriminate and other organisms such as sea turtles are often also caught in the long lines used to catch the sharks. The sheer scale of the shark finning industry is astonishing and endangered species such as hammerheads are often targeted. These species require several years to become sexually mature and are usually caught long before they have had chance to even reproduce once. Sharks cannot keep up with the rate they are being fished and these ancient apex predators will all be wiped out if this horrific industry is allowed to continue.

I ask the UK government to place a ban on selling shark fin soup in the UK, businesses in London's China town have already taken the initiative to take this off their menu and with our country being an example to the world of how high animal welfare standards and consumerism can go hand in hand there is no place in our country for endorsing such a cruel practice.