BRUSSELS, Belgium — The European Union is warning eight nations from around the world to improve their fight against illegal fishing or risk sanctions.

EU Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki said naming Belize, Cambodia, Fiji, Guinea, Panama, Sri Lanka, Togo and Vanuatu did not mean they were put on a black list, but rather they were given a warning without measures attached to it at the moment.

The EU says that illegal and unregulated fishing accounts for 19 percent of global value for catches.

Damanaki said that Indonesia has been cooperating with the EU for a year to counter the problem and avoided being put on the warning list.

If the nations concerned do not cooperate they could face trade sanctions in the fisheries sector.

Meanwhile, the EU took a major step yesterday to protect sharks, banning the brutal practice of hacking off their fins before throwing the fish back into the sea to die.

The European Parliament voted by an overwhelming 566-47 margin to force all boats in EU waters and EU-registered vessels around the world to land sharks with their fins attached and prove the animal had not been thrown back finless.

The practice of shark finning stems from the high price the body parts fetch in China for the shark fin soup, a specialty at high-class banquets, and the low value of the rest of the body. The consumption of fins has risen as China’s living standards have increased. Fins can sell for as much as US$700 a pound.

The European Union has said that some 75 million sharks are killed for their fins only. Since the EU is the biggest exporter, the move should have a sizable impact on shark populations.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature says that about one third of sharks and rays are threatened both in EU waters and around the globe.