it's a fin free ranges

report from the roundtable - 24 jul

At this week's council meeting I moved a motion about Shark Fin Products in the Yarra Ranges. The motion came about from the advocacy efforts of Jordan Crook, Yarra Ranges Young Environmental Achiever of the Year.

I'm pleased to say that the motion was supported unanimously by councillors in what is an Australian first.

Jordan has created the advocacy group, Fin Free Ranges, to rid the Shire of Yarra Ranges of imported shark fin products, including shark fin soup.

Jordan wants to raise awareness of the plight of the world's Sharks and the impact of shark finning on the population of this apex predator, starting with the third tier of government, Yarra Ranges Council.

I've been impressed by the way Jordan has engaged with local government, he's a great young leader and his perseverance to this cause is a testament to his commitment to environmental issues.

As part of council's commitment to Fin Free Ranges we will be writing to businesses in Yarra Ranges that serve Shark Fin Soup as well as the Federal Minister for Environment, Tony Burke, to encourage banning the importation of shark fin, shark fin products and shark fin derivative products into Australia. To encourage other councils to follow suit we will also be writing to councils throughout Australia so they are aware of the issue as well as the two local government peak bodies in Victoria, the VLGA and the MAV.

I wish Jordan and Fin Free Ranges all the best in their efforts to stop the barbaric practice of Shark Finning.