Port Moody is British Columbia’s first city to ban the sale of shark fins, a Chinese delicacy.
The unanimous vote occurred on Tuesday by City Council to ban the sale, trade, distribution and even possession of shark fin products. Demand for shark fins have driven and extremely cruel harvesting practice affecting falling shark populations worldwide.
The symbolic move prevents any of Port Moody’s three Chinese restaurants from ever serving shark fin and hopefully it pave the way for other communities to take a similar stand.
It is estimated that about 73 million sharks are killed every year to make shark fin soup, which is traditionally served at weddings, birthdays and other celebrations.
The practice of finning — where the shark’s fins are sliced off and the still living fish are thrown back to die — is banned in Canada.
Toronto and Mississauga already have shark fin bylaws in place and Coquitlam recently passed a motion for a similar ban.
