ONE of the region's top attractions is demanding action from the European Union to end the practice of shark-finning.

The Scarborough Sea Life Centre and Marine Sanctuary has joined forces with the conservation charity, the Shark Trust, in making its call.

Europe supplies about 27 per cent of all fins imported into Hong Kong for shark's fin soup, a popular Far East delicacy.

The fins are taken from captured sharks which are then dumped back into the water, bleeding and still alive, at the mercy of other sharks and ocean scavengers.

From Monday, the centre is holding a special Shark Week when visitors will be able to put their name to a petition calling for an end to the practice.

"The general public still hold a mainly negative view of sharks," said Paul Bullimore from the centre.

"But there's usually only about ten fatal shark attacks on people every year - compared to 100 million or more sharks that die at the hands of humans."

"Many sharks are caught purely for their fins in order to satisfy the taste for shark's fin soup.

"It is a fishing practice that is not only cruel but also unsustainable and leading to diminishing shark populations in many areas."

He added: "The practice is banned in areas of Australia, America, Brazil and South Africa and we would like to see the EU address the issue as soon as possible."