Tag Archives: shark fins
Connecticut’s Commercial Fishermen Express Interest In Two Bills
Two bills that could have a big impact on Connecticut’s multi-million dollar commercial fishing business were the subject of an Environment Committee public hearing Friday. The legislation would allow commercial fishermen to take one day’s catch and bring them across state lines — to Rhode Island and New York — not just Connecticut. The other bill would “prohibit the possession and trade of shark fins in the state.” The aim is to protect sharks from skinning for trade but commercial fishermen are worried that the bill may lead to a complete ban on shark. >click to read<18:30
10 Indonesian nationals caught trying to smuggle shark fins from Hawaii plead guilty
The fishermen accused of trying to smuggle nearly 1,000 shark fins out of Hawaii changed their plead in court Friday to guilty. Federal investigators say the 10 Indonesian nationals were caught last month after trying to sneak the shark fins through Honolulu’s airport. They were all working aboard the Japanese-flagged fishing vessel Kyoshin Maru and were part of an extensive shark fining operation. >click to read<14:12
Will banning trade in fins help endangered sharks? Experts are divided
The Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act of 2017, introduced before Congress on March 9, would terminate the possession and trade of shark fins in all 50 U.S. states and 16 territories. Activists and advocacy groups often cheer these bans as a way to protect sharks. Internationally about 70 of the planet’s 400-plus shark species now face extinction, often due to overfishing. However, some experts argue that better tracking to determine whether imported fins were caught sustainably, followed by trade restrictions on those that weren’t, represent the best steps toward saving threatened shark species. Some go so far as to argue that a U.S. trade ban may do more harm than good, by crushing a domestic industry that exports sustainably caught fins to markets in Asia and allowing less-sustainable fisheries to take up the slack. click here to read the story 08:54
Florida wildlife officials hope to ban shark fin imports
Florida wildlife officials want to look at banning the importation of shark fins through the state’s ports. But without support from Gov. Rick Scott’s office, they are not getting behind a federal proposal to prohibit possession of shark fins. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Executive Director Nick Wiley directed staff, after hearing from members of the commission and the public Monday, to look into what the agency can do about the importation of shark fins and determine what “we need to be pushing on that if we can.” With fins considered a delicacy in parts of Asia, “finning” is an illegal practice in Florida and the U.S. It involves cutting off shark fins at sea and then discarding the sharks. Commissioner Robert Spottswood was among those who questioned why the state allows the importation of shark fins separate from the rest of shark bodies. click here to read the story 13:28
Shark Fins: Waste or Resource?
An article in the St. Augustine Record caught my eye on social media this week. Viewed as a winter resident of Florida the headline was quite shocking, especially since I have many times seen sharks hauled ashore by surf-fishing tourists and subsequently abused. By abuse I mean leaving the animal in the sand while relatives run to find cameras to record the grisly images for bragging rights, not at all concerned about the suffering of the shark and/or the fact that it needs water to be able to “breathe.” The header in the Record was even more worrisome: “Sale and trade of shark fins to continue in Florida, despite threat to ecosystem, tourism.” The Boston Globe-credited-photo leading the post was worse. continue reading the story here 14:17
Sale and trade of shark fins to continue in Florida, and environmentalists are upset
Environmentalists sighed in disappointment after a Florida Senate bill banning the sale and trade of shark fins was amended last week, weakening its original intent. Originally proposed by Northeast Florida Senator Travis Hutson, R-Elkton, Senate Bill 884 would have thwarted the lucrative business of shark fin sales with strong language outlining the punishment and violations of the sale, trade or distribution of fins. “Eleven other states that had ports where this activity was taking place have already banned the sale and trade of shark fins,” said Erin Handy, campaign organizer for Oceana’s Climate & Energy Campaign in Florida. “Florida would have been the twelfth.” Handy speculates the state has been slow to implement rules against the sale and trade of shark fins due to the fishing industry. “There’s some opposition from the fishing industry saying the fins are the most valuable part and they should be able to sell them if they catch the shark and land it legally,” she said. That is called common sense! read the story here 08:49
Australian shark fin export sales showing signs of recovery
A West Australian seafood exporter says sales of shark fins are finally starting to pick up again, after a strong push from environmental groups to ban the global shark fin trade hit the industry hard. The long-standing calls from environmental groups stem from a concern of the sustainability of shark stocks and the prevalence of illegal finning. But fish processor Adam Soumelidis, who runs Great Southern Seafoods in Albany on the south-coast of Western Australia, said Australia had been unfairly dragged down in the bad press on shark fishing. He said while it was a relief that sales were recovering, industry needed to lobby more to make sure fin sales stayed afloat. “Now we’re just slowly, slowly starting to filter in through into the market.” Mr Soumelidis attributed the gradual increase to a better understanding of Australian fishing regulations. “Our practices aren’t like the rest of the world. We don’t fin the sharks and throw them back in,” he said. “Our practices are the whole fish comes in and it gets used. Read the story here 14:36
Regardless of legally caught sharks, California’s ban on possession and sale of shark fins stands
California’s ban on the possession and sale of shark fins survived a legal challenge Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Bay Area suppliers and sellers of shark fin soup, a traditional dish in the Chinese American community. “The purpose of the (California) shark fin law is to conserve state resources, prevent animal cruelty, and protect wildlife and public health,” the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said in a 2-1 ruling. The court said opponents of the state law had acknowledged that it still allows the use of about 95 percent of any legally caught shark for meat, skin and oils. The Obama administration at first supported opponents of the state law, filing arguments in 2013 that disputed California’s authority to restrict the sale of sharks that had been legally caught in federal waters. But it later changed its position after discussions with state fish and wildlife officials and said the two laws could be harmonized, with federal rules governing shark fishing while California regulated commerce within the state. Read the rest here 12:29
Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholds California ban on legal shark fins
“The purpose of the shark fin law is to conserve state resources, prevent animal cruelty, and protect wildlife and public health,” said Judge Andrew Hurwitz in the 2-1 ruling, which upheld a federal judge’s decision in the state’s favor. In dissent, Judge Stephen Reinhardt interpreted federal law differently. The national government, Reinhardt said, is authorized to “manage and maximize the productivity of fisheries” in federal waters that extend 200 miles offshore. Bruce Wagman, an attorney for the Humane Society of the United States,,, Read the rest here 08:02
I like this guy! Stephen Georgouras is selling Shark Fins from legally caught sharks
Cairns Ocean Products has been selling sun-dried shark fin, caught legally by local commercial fishermen, for the past two months, at $25.50/kg. In Queensland, fishers can cut the fins off sharks at sea, as long as they return to shore with an acceptable ratio of shark fins to shark meat. Cairns Ocean Products owner Stephen Georgouras said he was merely trying to onsell the product for local fishermen. “This business about sharks being endangered on our coastline here is unfounded.” Read the rest here 17:38
Fin-Body Ratios for Smooth Dogfish – Depends on How You Slice It
The 2010 Shark Conservation Act prohibits removal of fins at sea for all sharks landed in U.S. Waters, with a glaring exception for smooth dogfish, or smoothhound sharks, <Read more here> 07:38
EXCLUSIVE: Man busted for trying to sell shark fins
It’s been almost two years since Hawaii’s shark fin ban went into effect. Friday afternoon, enforcement officers busted a man for trying to sell shark fins to a Chinese restaurant. The man was cited, and now faces a possible fine, and possible jail time. This is something you don’t see in Hawaii anymore. “In the duffle bag, there are 14 shark fins, and they appear to be fresh, not cured or dried,” said Guy Chang, DOCARE Oahu Branch Chief. Read more
Washington state Senate votes to close loophole on shark fins
Two years ago, Washington state lawmakers banned the sale of shark fins but grandfathered in fins bought before July 2011. Read more
2 La. men admit illegally fishing for shark fins
BELLE CHASSE, La. (AP) — Two men have pleaded guilty to a Louisiana fishing violation after authorities said fins from hundreds of sharks were found aboard their vessel. Louisiana’s Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says 37-year-old Rick Nguyen of Buras and 29-year-old Hung Anh Tiet of Dallas pleaded guilty Thursday to concealing illegal fish. http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/2-La-men-admit-illegally-fishing-for-shark-fins-4081698.php?cmpid=twitter
