Tag Archives: shark-fin
New Jersey Legislature Succumbs to Humane Society’s Misinformation Campaign Against Sustainable Shark Fishing
The Garden State Seafood Association (GSSA) is disappointed with the passage of Assembly Bill A4845/S2905 today, which would prohibit the possession, sale, or trade of legally harvested shark fins in New Jersey.,,, “All this legislation does is to penalize legitimate, hard working fishermen of the state,” said Greg DiDomenico, Executive Director of GSSA. “Instead of acknowledging the leadership of our commercial industry, which operates a globally-recognized sustainable shark fishery, those supporting this legislation will penalize New Jersey fishermen, forcing them to discard a natural resource for no purpose.” >click to read< 09:15
Federal bill that could eliminate shark fin sales puts pressure on N.C. shark fishermen
The sale of shark fins may soon become illegal for coastal fisherman across the country. Legislation has been introduced to the House and Senate which would make it illegal to possess, buy, sell, or transport shark fins or any product containing shark fins. Local fishermen make a portion of their income based off of the sale of shark fins and shark meat. Some perceive this aspect of their business to be at risk because of the potential regulation. North Carolina congressmen David Rouzer, Tedd Budd, David Price and Congresswoman Alma Adams all cosponsor the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act of 2017. The bills, S.793 and H.R.1456 are opposed by Congressman Walter Jones, North Carolina’s Third District representative. click here to read the story 07:53
Congress wants to ban the shark fin trade. These scientists think that’s a bad idea.
Florida has a few more days until increased shark fin penalties kick in, and Congress is considering a ban that would prohibit fin sales for the entire country. But a paper co-authored by two shark researchers argues that such a ban would be destructive to shark fisheries management tactics already in place. The act of cutting off a shark’s fin and dumping its body into the water, eventually leading it to bleed to death or suffocate, has been illegal in the U.S. since 2000. Senate Bill 884 increases the fines for those who cut the fins off sharks while on the water, or return to shore with a shark’s fin separated from its body. While Mote Marine Laboratory’s Robert Hueter supported Florida’s new law imposing stricter fines for finning, he said Congress aims to solve a problem that doesn’t exist in the U.S. click here to read the story 08:33
The Shark Fin Ban That Should Be Banned – Shark Fin Trade Elimination Act of 2016
In the five seconds it takes to read this sentence, an estimated 16 sharks around the world have been killed. If you read on to the end of the article, that number will have risen to about 770. Every year, fishers haul up to 73 million sharks onto boats across the world’s oceans and trim their fins. In many cases, the rest of the body is thrown overboard to swim without propulsion. And without propulsion, no life-giving water flows over the sharks’ gills. They drown. This is shark finning, a cruel practice that feeds the demand for the Chinese delicacy of shark fin or fish wing soup. From boat to bowl, it is tasteless. To curb the death toll, the US Congress plans to introduce the Shark Fin Trade Elimination Act of 2016. If passed, to sell or possess shark fins would be a punishable offense. It’s the ultimate protection from being made into soup. Strange, then, that people who dedicate their lives to protecting sharks are vehemently opposed to the bill. In a letter to Senator Bill Nelson, Rob Hueter, director of the Center for Shark Research at the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida, outlines his objections. At best, it’s unnecessary, he says. At worst, it harms rather than helps shark populations. Read the story here 09:46
Rules tightened on shark fin removal at sea
Interstate regulators are tightening the restrictions on the last species of shark that can have its fins removed at sea in the U.S. Smooth dogfish are the only sharks from which American fishermen can remove fins at sea. Many other sharks can be hunted, but fins can’t be removed until processing on land. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission voted Tuesday to approve a new rule that allows fishermen to bring smooth dogfish to land with fins removed, as long as their total retained catch is at least 25 percent smooth dogfish. Right now, they can bring ashore as many as they choose. The rule change would better incorporate the Shark Conservation Act of 2010 into management of the dogfish, staff with the fisheries commission said. The dogfish are harvested from Rhode Island to North Carolina, and are among the many shark species that fishermen bring to land in states from Maine to Texas. Sharks are also hunted for their meat, but their greatest value is in their fins, which are used to make shark fin soup. Read the rest here 17:33
Calgary city council should just swim away from shark fin issue
Calgary Sun – The latest in this list of things that will supposedly make Calgary a world leader is a shark-fin registry. Yes. That whole thing is back. As we told you in Sunday’s Sun, the Shark Fin Task Force (do they come with a Mike Post-penned TV theme song?) held a handful of meetings, coming to the wise conclusion that a) a municipal ban would likely lose in court because the city has no authority to enact such a thing and b) there’s not much preference for a bylaw. continued
Shark fin soup might leave the menu in Maryland
A bill in both the House and Senate would make it illegal, with some exceptions, to distribute, possess, sell or trade shark fins in the state, effectively making it illegal to sell shark fin soup in Maryland. John Martin of Martin Fishing Compa
ny agreed with the benefits of promoting sustainable fisheries. That is in his best interest, too, he said. If a fish is allowed to be caught, use 100 percent of that fish, he said. Read more
