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EU Shark Fin Exports Drop 15 Percent in 2025 to 3,000 Tonnes
Member states exported nearly 3,000 tonnes of shark fins worth around €45 billion outside the bloc last year. The decline follows new CITES inspection rules and an expanded protected species list.
Jul 13, 3:51 AM·1m read1 source
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EU shark fin export volumes fell 15 percent from 2024 to 2025, Euronews reported. Member states shipped nearly 3,000 tonnes of fins outside the bloc in 2025, with a total value of around €45 billion. Blue sharks accounted for 97 percent of the sharks hunted for fins and sold frozen by EU countries.
Shortfin mako sharks made up the remaining 3 percent. The drop followed actions by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species that tightened inspections and traceability requirements for producers. The convention added 60 shark species to its protected list, though blue sharks were not included.
Spain remained Europe's largest exporter. Data compiled by the International Fund for Animal Welfare showed that Spain shipped at least 52,000 tonnes of shark fins outside the EU between 2003 and 2020. Portugal, the Netherlands, France and Italy ranked as the other main exporters, though at much smaller volumes.
Singapore and mainland China each received around 40 percent of EU shark fin exports. Hong Kong took 13 percent, Japan 2.5 percent and Vietnam 1 percent. The EU imported far smaller quantities, around 20 tonnes valued at €0.3 million.
Under the bloc's Fins Naturally Attached policy, sharks must be landed with fins fully attached. The EU is assessing whether to ban imports of detached shark fins.
