Shutting down ‘shark finning’: US fishermen promise a fight

Cory BookerAmerican fishermen are digging in for a fight over a proposal to shut down the vestiges of the U.S. harvest of shark fins, prized for soup and traditional medicine in Asia, and send a message to the rest of the world. The traditional “finning” of sharks — in which they are pulled out of the water, have their fins sliced off and are discarded into the sea, often still alive but unable to swim — is already illegal in the U.S., but fishermen are still allowed to hunt sharks and have their fins removed during processing on land. A bill backed by Sen. Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, and others promises to ban the sale and possession of shark fins to ensure U.S. fishermen and seafood dealers no longer participate in the global fin trade. The bill would still allow fishermen to harvest sharks for their meat, though some in the industry say it wouldn’t be worth the cost of business, because much of the value is in the fins. Read the rest here 08:06

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