Blumenthal, Bipartisan Group of Senators Introduce Bill to Ban Sale of Shark Fins

[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), along with a bipartisan group of Senators led by Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), introduced the Shark Fin Trade Elimination Act of 2016 to prohibit the sale of shark fins in the United States. Shark finning, which contributes to the decline of shark populations around the world, is a cruel practice in which the fins of a shark are cut off on board a fishing vessel at sea. The remainder of the animal is then thrown back into the water to drown, starve, or die a slow death.

“Shark finning is a sordid practice that is not only cruel to every butchered shark left to die finless in the ocean, but also damages the species’ population and threatens the entire ocean ecosystem,” Blumenthal said. “By banning the sale and possession of shark fins in our country, this legislation would establish the United States as a leader in the global effort to stop this inhumane business.”

Specifically, the Shark Fin Trade Elimination Act of 2016 seeks to:

• Remove the U.S. contribution of shark fins to the global market;
• Allow for stronger enforcement of the “no finning” ban in the United States; and
• Put the U.S. in a stronger position to advocate internationally for abolishing the fin trade in other countries.

Although the United States has banned the practice of shark finning aboard vessels in U.S.-controlled waters, there is no federal ban on the removal and sale of shark fins once brought ashore. Once a shark fin is detached from the body, it is almost impossible to determine whether the shark was legally caught or the fin lawfully removed. Determination of species is also difficult, which is problematic given that some shark species are threatened with extinction.

Between 2000 and 2011, the U.S. imported a yearly average of 36 tons of dried shark fins, including from countries that have few or no protections in place for sharks. Eleven states (TX, DE, HI, IL, MA, MD, NY, OR, RI, CA, WA) and three territories (American Samoa, Guam, and the North Mariana Islands)have already implemented bans on the sale of fins. A proposed ban is currently pending in the New Jersey state Senate.

The Shark Fin Trade Elimination Act of 2016 is endorsed by The American Sportfishing Association , SeaWorld Parks, Oceana, and Entertainment, the Humane Society of the United States, the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, and the Recreational Fishing Alliance.

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