[Greens-Media] Critically endangered shark mutilated for its fins - Greens

[Cate Faehrmann]

Critically endangered shark mutilated for its fins - Greens
The person found to be responsible for the live mutilation of a grey
nurse shark must face full force of the law says Greens MP and
environment spokeswoman Cate Faehrmann.
"The Department of Primary Industries has confirmed that the shark
found with its fins sliced off and washed up at Evans Head last week is
a protected, critically endangered grey nurse shark," said Ms Faehrmann.
"What is even more tragic is that it is a young breeding female. The
Minister needs to reassure the public that the Department is doing
everything it can to catch the offender".
"The loss of a breeding female from the tiny grey nurse shark
population on the east coast of Australia is a huge blow to the
desperate conservation effort to save this species," said Ms Faehrmann.
"The shark was still alive when it was found on the beach and suffered a
slow, cruel death."
"It is illegal to fin a live shark and discard its body in NSW waters
and it is also a very serious offence to harm a critically endangered
grey nurse shark. Clearly, the Department needs to step up its
compliance activities if fishermen think they can get away with such
serious offences", said Ms Faehrmann. 
"The Minister also needs to make her own position clear on the
conservation of this critically endangered species. On taking office,
she revoked protections for the grey nurse shark at South West Rocks and
Solitary Islands to appease the fishing lobby. She has since undertaken
a lengthy public consultation process on grey nurse shark protection
during which the public told her that they overwhelmingly support
protective measures. Yet she still holds off on giving these sharks'
habitat full protection", said Ms Faehrmann.  
Photos of the finned shark are available. Contact: Nicola Beynon 0416
843 131
Notes:
·         Grey nurse sharks are protected as critically endangered
species under the NSW Fisheries Management Act and the Commonwealth
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. That is the
highest level of endangerment and protection a species can receive in
Australia.
·         It is estimated that there are as few as 1000 to 1500 grey
nurse sharks left in the population on the east coast of Australia. ·   
     It is illegal to fin a shark and discard its body in NSW – a
measure to prevent the cruel practice of live shark finning. Penalties
for a first offence can be up to 6 months imprisonment and 200 penalty
units ($22,000) for an individual and 2000 penalty units ($220,000) for
a corporation.
·         It is illegal to harm a grey nurse shark in NSW. Penalties
can be up to $220,000 or 2 years imprisonment for an individual.
·         Some species of shark are killed for their fins in NSW waters
but the whole shark must be returned to port before it can be finned. 
·         The killing of grey nurse sharks is strictly prohibited.