Washington D.C. — Shark advocates got a big win late last month when the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation banning the shark fin trade in the United States. On November 20, congress passed the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act, H.R. 737 on a vote of 310 to 107.
The legislation outlaws the sale, possession and distribution of shark fins across the entire US. “No person shall possess, offer for sale, sell, or purchase any shark fin or product containing any shark fin,” the law states. Following the successful vote in the House, the legislation will move to the Senate where a similar bill has bipartisan cosponsorship from Shelley Moore Caputo, R W.Va. and Sen. Cory Booker, D, N.J.
The legislation also still allows a person to possess a shark fin that is lawfully covered by a license or permit—under certain circumstances.
Following H.R. 737’s passage in the House, Oceana, an environmental organization that advocates for marine causes, issued the following statement: “The demand for shark fins is decimating shark populations and the U.S. must now do its part to help protect them. Oceana applauds the House for passing this important legislation. Now it’s time for the Senate to do the same. This legislation is a bright spot of bipartisanship in Congress. Passing this bill into law will take the U.S. out of the fin trade and reduce the demand for fins. It’s time for the U.S. to once again be a leader in shark conservation. The U.S. needs a fin ban now.”
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For context, shark finning is the practice of removing a shark’s fins and throwing the rest back into the water, killing the shark in a gruesome, slow manner. Sharks that are still alive upon being thrown back in the water either suffocate (because they can’t move) or are consumed by predators.
Fisherman have an economic incentive to take shark fins because they’re easy to store and are also the most expensive part of a shark when brought to market. Some countries permit shark finning, but mandate that a crew must bring the entire animal back to port in order to harvest the fins.
The global demand for shark fin has grown over the past 20 years along with the expansion of middle classes in places like China that prize shark fin as a delicacy. Almost every shark species is sought for its fins and it’s estimated that somewhere between 73-100 million sharks are slaughtered every year for their fins.