Recent U.S. regulations have been issued that make it illegal for fishermen to crudely slice off sharks' fins at sea. But here's the "catch": these requirements only apply to federally permitted shark fisheries the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Now we need your help to make these rules consistent in ALL U.S. waters.
Shark finning is as brutal as it is wasteful, which prompted the U.S. government to enact the Shark Finning Prohibition Act of 2000, making the practice illegal. Or, at least, that was the intention.
A couple of months ago, we told you about the
King Diamond II, a fishing vessel that was caught with 32 tons of shark fins in 2002. There's no way to know just how many sharks were killed for this particular haul, but we do know that a shark's fin comprises just 1 to 5 percent of the animal's body weight, which means that
more than six million pounds of dead sharks were scattered on the ocean's floor. The worst part of this story is that they got off the hook, so to speak, by exploiting a loophole in the Shark Finning Prohibition Act.
Realizing that something needed to be done, Representative Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam) introduced the Shark Conservation Act of 2008, which would close the loophole and help improve shark conservation overall. The bill was strengthened by an amendment offered by Rep. Eni Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa) in committee. The amendment would require any shark caught to be brought back to shore with its fin still attached.
Now we need to pass this bill out of the House of Representatives.
Please help us overcome this hurdle to pass a true shark finning ban. Time is of the essence, so
take action today!
All you have to do is follow the link, sign and send the message.
Link:
Take Action | Oceana