Dear Editor,

Some of your readers have expressed their support for a ban on shark fin sales in Langley, and I applaud them for it. Not only is the practice of shark finning unbelievably inhumane and wasteful, but it is driving many shark species toward extinction, and is an ominous threat to ocean biodiversity.

Disney World Hong Kong stopped serving shark fin soup many years ago, stating that the practice of finning violated the mission statement of the Disney Corp., which includes the preservation of planetary biodiversity for future generations. Walt Disney would be proud.

Some Asian airlines have stopped serving shark fin soup, as have some restaurants in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Beijing.

The import of shark fin is illegal in the State of Hawaii, and elsewhere. There is finally a growing public concern for the unsustainable and ecologically destructive practice of shark finning. Human greed and huge profits are powerful forces behind those who would defend it.

In 2009, Canada imported 77,000 kilograms of shark fins.

In 2011, a Private Member's Bill, Bill C-380, was introduced to Parliament. It would prohibit the import of shark fins into Canada. Closing the market in Canada would have a huge impact in saving millions of sharks and stopping the international trade in shark fins.

I urge your readers to contact our MP, Mark Warawa, and ask him his thoughts on this subject, and how he intends to vote on the proposed legislation in Bill C-380. Let's get shark fin out of Canada, for good.

Sharon Stephenson, Langley