A Liverpool organisation that aims to protect the marine environment and the welfare of sea life has appealed to Liverpool City Council to support its cause.
‘Blue Ocean Planet’ has launched a petition to ban the production of shark fin soup and the use of all fin products in food throughout the city of Liverpool. According to the group’s website, its intention is to “Educate, Raise awareness and ultimately help protect marine environments and its wildlife, both being essential to the wellbeing of us all.”
Having already created several petitions, including ‘Save Maui’s Dolphins’ and ‘No Turtle Bay Resort Expansion’ the group now has its sights set on Liverpool, attempting to encourage the council to follow in the footsteps of other major cities, such as Toronto and Los Angeles, who have already banned the use of shark products in food.Blue Ocean Planet told JMU Journalism: “Liverpool is a large and influential city in the UK and has the potential to be a positive catalyst for change that could help set a precedent for others to follow.”
However Liverpool Council spokesman, Tom Farrell, said: “The situation is that the city council does not have the power to enact legislation as called for in the petition and this could only be done through national legislation.”
According to Blue Ocean Planet reports, despite sharks surviving for 450 million years, it is estimated they could face extinction within the next few decades. Over 77 million sharks are killed every year for shark fins for use in food production.
A group spokesman said: “The fins are removed while the Shark is still alive and the animal is then tossed back overboard to sink to the bottom of the Ocean and die.”
Using the creative slogan “Join us to Stop the Soup – Spread Shark Truth’ for their campaign, the petition emphasizes the importance that sharks have in the world, as well as the threat they are currently facing.
The petition can be accessed here >>