SHARK FINNING PETITION
TO Prime Minister Mr John Key and
Mr David Carter, Minister of Primary Industries
We, the undersigned citizens of NEW ZEALAND, draw your attention to the following:
THAT
apex predators such as sharks play a critical role in maintaining healthy, balanced ecosystems;
the continuing practice of shark finning, which is the practice of removing the fins and discarding the remainder of the shark back into the sea, is having a devastating effect on shark species around New Zealand and the rest of the world;
the practice of shark finning results in an estimated 80 million sharks a year being killed for their fins alone and that over one-third of all shark species are threatened with extinction as a result of shark finning;
measures must be taken to stop the global practice of shark finning and to ensure the responsible conservation and management of sharks;
THEREFORE, we the undersigned call upon the Government of New Zealand to immediately legislate
A BAN ON ALL SHARK FINNING and EXPORTING OF SHARK FINS IN OR FROM NEW ZEALAND WATERS.