BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union agreed on Thursday to tighten an existing ban on “shark finning”, or slicing fins off sharks often while they are still alive, which environmental campaigners say is cruel and threatens the survival of some species.

Once the change comes into effect, the ban will forbid shark finning by all vessels in EU waters and by all EU-registered vessels anywhere in the world, a move its supporters believe will put pressure on countries where the practice is common.

Workers lay out pieces of shark fin to dry on a rooftop of a factory building in Hong Kong January 2, 2013. REUTERS/Bobby Yip

Workers lay out pieces of shark fin to dry on a rooftop of a factory building in Hong Kong January 2, 2013. REUTERS/Bobby Yip

“Shark finning is one of the main threats to the shark population,” said Sandrine Polti, policy adviser to the…