First US Bill to ban Shark Fin products!!

[moosicman]

signed it

[Grin]

Not to pee on your parade but: Shark fin soup is about as popular in the US as monkey brains. I don't see this campaing doing anything. The problem is overseas today. It is true that shark finning was legal and practiced here in the states a few years back, but it is banned now. Today a boat cannot have shark fins onboard without the rest of the shark. This pretty much 99.9% eliminated finning in US waters. True, finning is a big issue, that should be stopped, in other parts of the world, but there isn't much you can do about it. US waters extend 200 miles from shore, and beyond that it's a international situation. This would be a situation for Federal fisheries people to pressure other countries to curtail. But if you know anything about federal fisheries, they have serious issues trying to control other countries in virtually every fishery. Things like Whaling, Bluefin tuna overharvest, longline abuse of many types, the dolphin/porpoise in tuna thing, and every type of abuse you can think of. Banning shark fin soup in the US is almost comical. Your banning something that is a zero issue. Maybe this is something that was started before they fixed the problem? Did anyone check the start date of this petition? Maybe it is something old that got dug up?

[Osprey]

Actually I know several states I have visited where everyone I was with wanted me to go get shark fins stuffed in Dim Sum

I've also seen it served broiled in small shops even in the midwest.

So it's not just soup that's the issue. Besides, people here in the US could use a little more wildlife education, even if it's through nixing fins

[DevilDiver]

I am sure shark fin soup is not the new "Hot Wings" on the American menu especially in Westchester County, just north of New York City. This is more of a "lead by example" issue. If you feel that finning is a bad practice then you can not say to the world "do as I say but not as I do".

If there is only a .05% (no idea, just a random guess for example)consumer base for shark products in the US (Foods, cosmetics, ect..) this still makes the US a major factor in the world market.

To the point of it being a zero issue...... If supporting this bill in this county or any other throughout the US has such a small effect on the majorities personal purchases then I would believe this should be very easy for the public to accept, especially if it sets a good example on the world stage and gives credibility to the US if it can be made an issue internationally....

Give it a chance... Everything has to start somewhere.

[CompuDude]

Agreed. It's not hardly a hot fad in American restaurants, but it IS sold here, and probably more than you'd think, unless you commonly hang out in Chinatown. It's quite common in a larger number of Chinese restaurants and other Asian immigrant communities.

Banning shark fins here WILL have an effect. Small, worldwide, but our economy still matters.