Following House Approval, U.S. Has a Chance to Ban the Cruel Shark Fin Trade
18 March
Insights + Opinion
Lemon shark seen in the wild. Vanessa Mignon
By Sara Amundson
Every year, fins from as many as 73 million sharks circulate throughout the world in a complex international market. They are the key ingredient in shark fin soup, a luxury dish considered a status symbol in some Asian cuisines.
<p>The global trade in shark fins is contributing to a crisis among shark populations worldwide. Sharks are being killed <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X13000055?via%3Dihub" target="_blank">30 percent faster</a> than they can reproduce, and the fin trade is one of the main culprits. Up to <a href="https://elife.elifesciences.org/content/3/e00590" target="_blank">one-quarter</a> of all species of sharks and their relatives are at risk of extinction. Some shark populations have declined by <a href="https://www.cites.org/sites/default/files/eng/cop/16/prop/E-CoP16-Prop-43.pdf" target="_blank">nearly 90 percent</a> in recent decades. The disappearance of sharks can <a href="https://truthout.org/articles/shark-fishing-tournaments-devalue-ocean-wildlife-and-harm-conservation/" target="_blank">harm fragile ocean ecosystems</a>, because as top predators, sharks help balance the populations of species below them in the food chain.</p>
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="17d87ec34d2ed085f4ac7284997704c0"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4oiX_z0AGgA?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>Additionally, many of the fins traded are obtained through the brutal, inhumane practice known as finning, in which fishers at sea catch sharks, slice off their fins and throw the animals — usually still alive — back into the water. Unable to swim without their fins, the sharks drown, bleed to death or are eaten alive by other fish. Because space on boats is limited and fins are by far the most valuable part of the shark, fishers have an incentive to use this cruel method to get fins.</p><p>However, the tide is turning against the shark fin trade.</p><p>In November 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives issued a resounding bipartisan "no" to this cruel practice, voting 310 to 107 to pass a bill <a href="https://www.humanesociety.org/news/house-approves-bill-prohibiting-trade-shark-fins" target="_blank">banning</a> commercial trade of shark fins and products derived from shark fins in the U.S. <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/737" target="_blank">The Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act</a>, led by Representatives Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D-Northern Mariana Islands) and Michael McCaul (R-Texas), would prohibit all purchase, sale and possession for commercial purposes of these parts and products. The legislation builds on previous laws passed by Congress — the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/106/plaws/publ557/PLAW-106publ557.pdf" target="_blank">Shark Finning Prohibition Act of 2000</a> and the <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/laws-and-policies/shark-conservation-act" target="_blank">Shark Conservation Act of 2010</a> — which banned the act of shark finning in U.S. waters and the transport on U.S.-flagged vessels of shark fins not naturally attached to a shark carcass.</p>The action has now moved to the U.S. Senate, where a third of the members have sponsored a parallel bill, <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/877" target="_blank">S. 877</a>, introduced by Senators Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia). Already the Senate Commerce Committee has cleared this bill for potential floor action.
<p>States are also taking up the fight. In January, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill into law that bans the sale and trade of shark fins in the Garden State. The state's general assembly had <a href="https://www.billtrack50.com/BillDetail/990923" target="_blank">approved the bill</a> by a vote of 54 to 19, and the state's senate passed its version of the bill by a vote of 33 to 6. These vote tallies reflect the will of the state's constituents: In a <a href="https://www.humanesociety.org/sites/default/files/docs/NJ%20Public%20Opinion%20Survey%20040119.pdf" target="_blank">recent survey</a>, a majority of New Jersey voters said they would support a prohibition on the sale, possession and trade of shark fins.</p><p>New Jersey now joins 13 other states, including all of its coastal neighbors, and three U.S. territories that have passed legislation to ban or limit the sale of shark fins — American Samoa, California, Delaware, Guam, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, the Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas and Washington.</p><p>The current to stop the shark fin trade is also flowing internationally. In June 2019, Canada, the <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/document/2017-shark-finning-report-congress" target="_blank">largest importer</a> of shark fins outside Asia, passed a bill that includes measures to prohibit that country's trade in shark fins as well as the act of finning in Canadian waters. Worldwide, nearly 60 airlines and container shipping companies — including Air China, Eastern Air Logistics (the parent company of four major Chinese airlines) and Maersk, the world's largest shipping line — have <a href="https://wildaid.org/four-more-chinese-airlines-ban-shark-fin/" target="_blank">banned the transport of shark fins</a>. Many high-end restaurants and hotel chains in Asia have also stopped serving shark fin soup. Demand for the soup <a href="https://tinyurl.com/tygz8mg" target="_blank">is declining</a> but not quickly enough to save sharks on its own.</p>
<p>While finning in U.S. waters is already prohibited, current law is not enough because once shark fins are on land, they can be sold. Furthermore, U.S. participation in the global fin market continues to fuel the practice in places that lack shark-finning bans or adequate shark management and conservation policies.</p><p>It is impossible to guarantee that shark fins are humanely and sustainably sourced. That is because once a fin is detached, it is impossible to know where it was obtained, or whether it was sliced off a shark at sea or removed after the shark was brought to shore. It is also difficult to determine the species of the shark. For the most part, shark fins sold in the U.S. do not come from U.S. fishers. Because of this, fins sold here can come from sharks that were finned, or from <a href="https://tinyurl.com/clw28lh" target="_blank">endangered or threatened</a> shark species.</p><p>Our role is magnified by the fact that the U.S. is a major transit hub for international shark fin shipments. Latin America is one of the most significant shark fin-producing regions, and many of these countries transport shark fins through U.S. ports. <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/unintentional-partner-shark-fin-market-report_0.pdf" target="_blank">Some Latin American nations</a> ship as much as one-third to one-half of all their shark fin exports through the U.S. In fact, on February 3, almost 1,400 pounds of dried shark fins worth around $1 million were <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/endangered-species-1400-pounds-shark-fins-1m-seized-miami/" target="_blank">found by wildlife inspectors</a> in Miami. The shipment is believed to have originated in South America and was likely headed to Asia.</p>
<p>Still, banning the shark fin trade in the United States has its opponents. They argue that U.S. shark fisheries are already well managed. In reality, however, fewer than 20 percent of U.S. shark stocks <a href="https://usa.oceana.org/blog/are-us-sharks-trouble" target="_blank">are considered sustainable</a>. They also argue that it is wasteful for fishers to land a shark and not be able to sell its fins. By that standard, not selling the ivory from a dead elephant is wasteful, too — but as a nation, we have decided that the broad well-being of all elephants supersedes that pernicious use of their tusks.</p><p>Fishing industry advocates claim that banning the fin trade would have harmful economic impacts. The truth is, though, that sharks are worth much more alive than dead. In 2016, <a href="https://usa.oceana.org/SharkEconomics" target="_blank">shark-related diving</a> in Florida produced more than $221 million in revenues and more than 3,700 jobs. Moreover, fishers would still be able to sell the meat and other products from the sharks they land. In states where the shark fin trade has been banned, there is no evidence of negative impacts to the commercial fishing industry.</p><p>Finally, some believe we can address the shark crisis not by changing our own practices, but simply by requiring other countries to improve their shark fishing methods. The latter is an unrealistic goal. The low percentage of U.S. shark stocks known to be sustainable underscores how difficult fisheries are to manage, even here in one of the world's richest and most technologically advanced nations. Additionally, when the U.S. leads, other countries follow. After we banned commercial trade in ivory, many other nations followed suit, including China, the European Union and Australia.</p><p>Simply put, the U.S. must remove itself from the cruel and ecologically damaging global shark fin trade. Americans <a href="https://oceana.org/press-center/press-releases/8-10-americans-support-nationwide-shark-fin-ban" target="_blank">overwhelmingly oppose it</a>, and we are in a position to set an example for the rest of the world.</p><p>Join the wave for a U.S. shark fin ban. <a href="https://www.humanesociety.org/sharkfinban" target="_blank">Call your two U.S. senators</a> and ask them to support S. 877, the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act.</p><p>Sharks are worth more alive than in a bowl of soup.</p>
<p><em>Sara Amundson is the president of the <a href="https://tinyurl.com/ybl63pav" target="_blank">Humane Society Legislative Fund</a>, the 501(c)4 legislative and political organization affiliated with the Humane Society of the United States. In this capacity, she manages political and legislative activity for the organization. She has testified before the U.S. Congress and in various state legislatures on a variety of animal protection legislation.</em></p><p><em>This article first appeared on </em><a href="https://truthout.org/articles/following-house-approval-us-has-a-chance-to-ban-the-cruel-shark-fin-trade/" target="_blank"><em>Truthout</em></a><em> and was produced in partnership with </em><a href="https://independentmediainstitute.org/earth-food-life/" target="_blank"><em>Earth | Food | Life</em></a><em>, a project of the Independent Media Institute.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
- The Surprise Middleman in the Illegal Shark Fin Trade: The U.S. ... ›
- Starbucks Urged to Cut Ties With Hong Kong Chain That Still Serves ... ›
- $1 Million Worth of Shark Fins Seized at Miami Port - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Nearly $1 million worth of shark fins were seized by wildlife inspectors in Miami, Florida. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. government officials found 1,400 pounds of shark fins worth $1 million hidden in boxes in Miami, Florida, according to CNN.
<p>In a news release, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the shark fins were hidden in 18 boxes. The dried fins arrived from South America and were likely headed to Asia, the <a href="https://apnews.com/81579cb1f7a48f234284bdaecaa582c9" target="_blank">AP reported</a>. </p>
<p>Shark fin soup is a delicacy in Asia, especially in China. To meet the demand for the coveted dish, smugglers kill tens of millions of sharks every year, cutting the fin from a live shark, according to conservation groups, as the <a href="https://apnews.com/81579cb1f7a48f234284bdaecaa582c9" target="_blank">AP reported</a>.</p>
<p>The practice of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/shark-finning" rel="noopener noreferrer">shark finning</a> is extremely wasteful and cruel. After the fin is cut off from the live shark, the rest of the shark is discarded. The practice has been a federal crime in the U.S. since 2000, <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article239921043.html" target="_blank">according to the Miami Herald</a>. </p>
<p>"The goal of this seizure is to protect these species while deterring trackers from using US ports as viable routes in the illegal shark fin trade," Christina Meister, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said as the <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article239921043.html" target="_blank">Miami Herald reported</a>.</p>
<p>An international agreement between governments around the world is aimed to protect vulnerable <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/animals" rel="noopener noreferrer">animals</a> and plants. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) protects <a href="https://cites.org/eng/prog/shark/more.php" target="_blank">12 species of sharks</a>, which are included in Appendix II of CITES, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/04/us/shark-fins-seized-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">according to CNN</a>.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjY1OTI2Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNTUyMDU3MH0.fzvRix326Vh9DhHsDvWKyOvD7LJecWXTlFNavihz_S0/img.jpg?width=980" id="4a55b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="cc9fbc0d1b72ae88bbf70e12b699c403" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
<p>"The shipment violated the Lacey Act and included CITES listed species," Gavin Shire, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Chief of Public Affairs, told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/04/us/shark-fins-seized-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>. "We are limited to what we can say about this as it is an ongoing case."</p> <p>While it is illegal in the U.S. to cut off a fin from a live shark and discard the rest of the animal, it is not illegal to traffic or trade shark fins in the U.S. </p> <p>"The recent seizure of more than 1,000 pounds of shark fins in Miami from potentially protected species demonstrates why we need a federal shark fin ban," said Ariana Spawn, an ocean advocate at the nonprofit advocacy group Oceana, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/04/us/shark-fins-seized-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>. She urged the Senate to pass the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/877" target="_blank">Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act</a> (S.877), which would ban the trade of fins nationwide.</p><p>The House of Representatives passed the bill in November of 2019. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) sponsored it in the Senate in December. The <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/877" target="_blank">bill</a> is now on the Senate's legislative calendar, but at the mercy of Mitch McConnell's decisions to set the legislative agenda. The bill, as it is written, makes it illegal to possess, buy, sell, or transport shark fins or any product containing shark fins, except for certain dogfish fins carries. Illegal trading in shark fins would carry a maximum civil penalty for each violation of $100,000, or the fair market value of the shark fins involved, whichever is greater, <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/877" target="_blank">according to the bill</a>.</p><p>The shark fin soup trade has decimated shark populations. According to a 2018 <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X18303038?dgcid=rss_sd_all" target="_blank">study</a>, shark populations such as hammerhead and oceanic whitetip have declined by more than 90 percent. Furthermore, nearly 60 percent of shark species are now threatened, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/04/us/shark-fins-seized-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>. </p><p>No arrests were made for yesterday's seizure in Miami. "Further investigation is pending," said Meister, as the <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article239921043.html" target="_blank">Miami Herald reported</a>.</p>
From Your Site Articles
- Commercial Fishing Vessel Busted in Africa for Shark Finning ... ›
- The Surprise Middleman in the Illegal Shark Fin Trade: The U.S. ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
Shark fins drying on sidewalk in Hong Kong. Nicholas Wang / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
Starbucks is being pressured to cut ties with popular Hong Kong restaurant chain Maxim's Caterers Limited over its offering of dishes with shark fin.
<p>
Maxim's said it phased out the controversial product in 2017 but undercover investigators with the wildlife conservation charity
<a href="https://wildaid.org/" target="_blank">WildAid</a> found that the eatery still offers shark fin on a secret "premium" menu, the <a href="http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2150331/shark-fin-still-served-popular-hong-kong-chain-maxims-despite-companys" target="_blank">South China Morning Post</a> reported.
</p><p>Now, activist groups are calling on the coffee giant to break its 18-year partnership with Coffee Concepts (HK) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Maxim's Caterers Limited.
</p><p>
In a letter to Starbucks executives last month, WildAid urged the company to end its relationship with Maxim's Caterers ahead of its upcoming expansion in China.
</p><p>
"Maxim's seemingly contradictory status as Hong Kong's largest retailer of shark fin soup casts a stain on Starbucks' reputation," the letter stated, as quoted by
<a href="https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/06/14/animal-activists-take-aim-starbucks-claiming-licence-holder-maxims-continues-serve-shark-fin/" target="_blank">Hong Kong Free Press</a>. "[We] sincerely urge Starbucks to call on its Hong Kong licensee Maxim's Caterers Limited, to halt all cruel, dirty, unsustainable, and often illegal shark fin trade with immediate effect."
</p><p>
Shark fin soup is mostly served in Chinese banquet menus as a symbol of prosperity and for its supposed health benefits. But the shark fin trade poses a danger to vulnerable shark species. More than 70 million sharks are killed each year and a quarter of species are threatened with extinction, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
</p><p>
WildAid did not appear impressed with Starbucks' response to their letter, tweeting on Tuesday "we got the brush off from Starbucks customer service about two weeks ago. Since then, nothing."
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="44f71" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="KOQRVU1576662749"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1006538257717497857" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@Laughhon @Starbucks Thanks, Susie! Please read our letter to @Starbucks founder Howard Schultz and CEO Kevin Johns… https://t.co/PNxxAeQpdt</div> — WildAid Hong Kong (@WildAid Hong Kong)<a href="https://twitter.com/WildAidHK/statuses/1006538257717497857">1528812395.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
Gary Stokes, Asia director for
<a href="https://www.seashepherdglobal.org/" target="_blank">Sea Shepherd Global</a>, also spoke out against the partnership.
</p><p>
"The shark fin industry is not limited to just the shark fin traders, but spans from the fisherman who killed the shark all the way to the restaurants that serve shark's fin soup," he said in a statement. "By licensing Starbucks' brand to Maxim's Caterers Limited who openly sell shark's fin on their menus, Starbucks has partnered with the shark fin trade itself."
</p><p>
<span></span>Despite the protests, Maxim's Caterers told
<a href="https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/06/14/maxims-continue-selling-shark-fin-dishes-upon-request-despite-protests-animal-activists/" target="_blank">Hong Kong Free Press</a> on Thursday that they will continue to sell shark fin products "upon request" at their Hong Kong restaurants. They also claimed to only use shark fins from Blue Sharks—a "Lower Risk-Near Threatened" species.
</p><p>
"We have stringent sourcing process, and all suppliers must provide legal shark fin import documentations that met regulatory requirements. We are also the first Chinese chain restaurant to proactively conduct independent DNA testing on shark fin to ensure that the supply is from the lower risk species," they told the publication.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="b1f20" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="09IRAO1576662749"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1006682105084981248" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@ADMCF_Wildlife Here's Maxim's #SecretSharkFinMenu at Hoi Yat Heen in the Harbour Grand Hotel. https://t.co/p8AobB1vq4</div> — WildAid Hong Kong (@WildAid Hong Kong)<a href="https://twitter.com/WildAidHK/statuses/1006682105084981248">1528846691.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
In their press release, Sea Shepherd noted that Starbucks'
<a href="http://www.starbucks.co.th/about-us/our-company/mission-statement" target="_blank">environmental mission statement</a> includes commitments such as "understanding of environmental issues and sharing information with our partners," "striving to buy, sell and use environmentally friendly products," and "encouraging all partners to share in our mission."
</p><p>
Stokes commented, "None of the above points in the mission statement are in line with or justify selling shark fin soup. With between
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/shark-finning-kills-100-million-sharks-a-year-international-commission-1881982976.html">100-200 million sharks</a> being killed annually, no business can claim that they are environmentally friendly or responsible when they sell shark fin soup."
</p><p>
"Starbucks needs to demand that Maxim's Caterers Limited drop shark fin from their menus across their group or cancel their license to operate Starbucks in Asia. Tarnishing the brand of Starbucks should not be an option, and Starbucks customers deserve to be informed if the mission statement has changed," Stokes concluded.
</p><p>
EcoWatch has reached out to Starbucks for comment.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="6664d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="S91DG01576662749"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1001864016942202882" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Endangered Whale Shark Fins Found in Airlines Shipment https://t.co/4mvQ62q0rB @seashepherd #SharkFin @WWF @peta… https://t.co/ojfEdSqB3m</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/1001864016942202882">1527697970.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
From Your Site Articles
- Sharks: Last on Trump's List, First on His Plate ›
- Sea Shepherd Uncovers Huge Shipments of Shark Fins ›
- Endangered Whale Shark Fins Found in Airlines Shipment ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Scalloped hammerhead shark. Kevin Lino / NOAA / Flickr
On his trip to Asia, President Trump ate shark fin soup in Vietnam. While this meal is considered a status symbol, delicacy and a sign of wealth in Asian culture (it can sell for over $100 a serving in restaurants), the continued consumption of shark fin soup has a devastating effect on shark populations around the world.
Shark fin soup is believed by some to have medicinal healing properties and its proponents view its consumption as a cultural right. Sharks rely heavily on international and regional treaties for protections and management measures, and in some countries domestic regulations have been adopted.
<p>Sharks are amazing ocean predators, and they're some of the most powerful creatures in the sea. But 25 percent of shark species are currently listed as <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/endangered-species">endangered</a>, threatened or near threatened by extinction. Because sharks are generally slow to reproduce, the constant onslaught of threats that include shark finning, bycatch and threats to the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oceans">ocean</a> ecosystem are causing a severe decline in populations that are already hard to monitor.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNDk4NzkwNy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMzE4MjU0M30.FEdXw7BYkviReoz6A-WsX6CtQI5nDlXox1Dt6KM0_so/img.jpg?width=980" id="5d0d9" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8652a6c8c3d5920c2011f8d2787e4821" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
</p><p>While it is impossible to know how many sharks are killed yearly due to illegal and unrecorded catch, it is estimated that up to 73 million sharks are killed annually by "finning" alone—a brutal practice that involves cutting off a shark's fins, usually while it is still alive, and throwing the body back overboard where it bleeds to death, drowns or is eaten. This is clearly a cruel practice, and the fact that millions of sharks are being killed is also a main issue for <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife">wildlife</a> conservation.<br></p><p>The U.S., overall a low market for shark fin soup compared to countries in Asia, still has some ways to go before it is completely removed from the shark fin trade. Especially when the president dines on shark fin soup and previously served it at his failed Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In response to someone saying they would not visit the restaurant until shark fin soup was removed from the menu, Trump tweeted:</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="1b65a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="32O0CR1576663807"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="352796146927796226" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Sharks are last on my list - other than perhaps the losers and haters of the World!</div> — Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump)<a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/statuses/352796146927796226">1372948130.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>In 2000, the Shark Finning Prohibition Act was signed into law by President Bill Clinton. It banned the possession on U.S. ships of shark fins without the carcass and made it illegal to partake in shark finning within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone.</p><p>In 2007, after five years of working with Mexico's government, Defenders of Wildlife helped pass legislation that outlawed shark finning in Mexico's waters.</p><p>In 2010, President Barack Obama signed into law the Shark Conservation Act of 2010, which forbade the purchase of shark fins from other vessels, to close a loophole in the Shark Finning Prohibition Act.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNDk4ODQ3MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNTg1OTYzM30.-d0kVmRdEELV2KV1YXYdJTrIjzldAw-SJMHAmSk6wY0/img.jpg?width=980" id="0ec03" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b2883dee4ffa8624bd77e71c0ebfbb9d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
</p><p>In 2011, Defenders of Wildlife, along with a coalition of 12 other environmental organizations, began a campaign to pass a law banning the possession, trade, sale and distribution of shark fins in California. As a result of these efforts, on Oct. 7, 2011, Governor Jerry Brown signed AB376 into law.</p><p>In June 2016, Congress introduced the bipartisan Shark Fin Trade Elimination Act. The bill would ban the buying and selling of shark fins in the U.S. altogether and impose fines of up to $100,000 for participating in the shark fin trade.</p><p>Just last month at the Conference of the Parties to the Conference of Migratory Species of Wild Animals in Manila, Philippines, Defenders of Wildlife successfully advocated for six species of sharks to gain international collaboration for conservation—the whale shark, dusky shark, blue shark, angelshark, guitarfish and white spotted wedgefish. This week, Defenders of Wildlife is at the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas in Marrakesh, Morocco, where we are advocating for fins attached to sharks as well as promoting prohibition of retention measures for mako sharks that are severely overfished.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNDk4OTMxNy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzOTc1MDQzNn0.zoDB6-aaMMMX77FeD_3sA4AknMDVtV2KNcdvhQYXGmU/img.jpg?width=980" id="9d769" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0115032b1125c5f95c04269a03633f2d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
</p><p>In order to stop shark finning, <a href="https://secure.defenders.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2985&s_src=3WDW1700CXXXX&s_subsrc=currentactions%20" target="_blank">we must work to reduce the demand for the fins</a>—which means publicly denouncing the practice and showing support for conservation efforts. Former NBA star Yao Ming has led the charge to gain visibility for this issue along with Leonardo DiCaprio, Jackie Chan, Rosario Dawson, Edward Norton, James Cameron, Richard Branson and Jackson Browne. Chefs Wolfgang Puck, Mario Batali, Gordon Ramsey and others have pledged never to serve shark fin soup in their restaurants.</p><p>And yet President Trump imprudently, obtusely and very publicly dines on a dish causing appalling harm to our already fragile ocean ecosystem.</p>
Read More
Show Less
Oceana
On Feb. 1, Delegate Eric Luedtke (D-District 14) and Sen. Brian Frosh (D-District 16) introduced bills (HB 393/ SB 465) in Maryland that, if enacted, would ban the sale, trade, distribution and possession of shark fins throughout the state. In recent months, similar bills were introduced in Florida, Illinois and Virginia
Oceana applauds Delegate Luedtke and Sen. Frosh for their leadership to help reduce the market for shark fins and urges the Maryland Legislature to enact these bills into law.
“We can no longer ignore that the shark fin trade is wiping out shark populations and putting our ocean ecosystems at risk," said Beth Lowell, campaign director at Oceana. “If Maryland residents want healthy oceans, they should support this bill."
While shark finning, the process of removing a shark's fins and throwing the carcass overboard at sea, is illegal in the U.S., current federal laws banning the practice do not address the issue of the shark fin trade. Therefore, shark fins can be imported into the U.S. from countries with few or even no shark protections in place.
Over the last two years, similar bans have been enacted in Hawaii, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, California, Washington and Oregon.
“This bill is a no brainer," said Lowell. “We hope Maryland's efforts will create a domino effect among other East Coast states to protect sharks. By reducing the market for shark fins, we can reduce the incentive to kills sharks solely for their fins."
Each year, tens of millions of sharks are killed for their fins, mostly to make shark fin soup. In recent decades, some shark populations have declined by as much as 99 percent.
For more information, click here.