Scottish Sharks
In Scottish waters, sharks like the porbeagle and spurdog were once relatively common, but are now classed as “critically endangered”; spurdog, also called Rock Salmon on menus, are estimated to be at 5 per cent of historic levels.
While “finning” – when the fins are cut off sharks with the body dumped back in the sea – has been banned in European waters, there is an alarming mismatch between the number of fins for sale and the number of sharks caught worldwide.
The fin of a basking shark, legally protected by Europe, can fetch as much as £7,000 in Asia, while the average shark-fin sells for about £175 per lb.
[Update :: The following question was raised in the Scottish Parliament by John Scott (Ayr) (Con) : To ask the Scottish Executive how many permits it has issued in each of the last five years to allow the finning of sharks in Scottish waters.
Answered by Richard Lochhead: Permits have been issued, as follows, to Scottish registered fishing vessels which are part of the Anglo-Spanish fleet:
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