Victory | June 19, 2019

Shark fin trade banned in Canada

Importing and exporting shark fins is now banned in Canada. The practice of shark finning has been illegal in Canadian waters for years; however, Canada was the largest importer of shark fins outside of Asia. A grassroots effort by Oceana Canada pushed for the passage of Bill S-238, to ban the importation and exportation of shark fins. This effort resulted in more than 300,000 petition signatures and thousands of emails and phone calls being made to Members of Parliament calling on them to protect sharks. This public support and campaigning by Oceana Canada and other groups led to Bill S-238 being incorporated into Canada’s new Fisheries Act which passed into law on June 18, 2019.