City Council voted in favour of banning the posession, sale and consumption of shark fin in Toronto yesterday. Though it's served as a delicacy in many Chinese restaurants, environmentalists deem shark fishing unsustainable and cruel. Here, we take a look at Toronto’s shark fin journey.
March 2007:
Rob Stewart's film Sharkwater airs in Canada. It’s an eye-opening look at a day in the life of a shark, and helps further Canada’s discussion of shark conservation.
December 2007:
The United Nations recommends that countries strengthen their policies on shark finning (the practice of hacking off a shark's fins and then throwing it back into the water, often still alive). It also suggests for sharks to be landed with fins still attached.
July 2010:
Hawaii trail blazes the shark protectionist movement and enacts a law prohibiting the sale, possession and distribution of shark fin products.
May 17, 2011:
Brantford becomes the first jurisdiction in Canada to introduce a bylaw that bans the sale of shark fin. While no restaurants in Brantford serve the controversial delicacy, the monumental legislation is intended to bait larger cities like Toronto.
Oct. 12, 2011:
Mississauga's council hops on the banned bandwagon, making the sale of shark fin products illegal in the city. After weeks of debate concerning the possible negative impact on local Chinese restaurants, Mississauga’s council goes one step further by calling on the federal government to enact a nationwide ban.
Oct 25, 2011:
Toronto City Council decides to make the sale, possession and consumption of shark fin products illegal in a landslide vote of 38-4.
