After a momentous victory for sharks with the passage of the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act (H.R. 737), the fate of the new shark protection rules now rides on the U.S. Senate passing the companion legislation (S. 877), which was introduced by Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.).
The senate bill has already passed the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation in April and now awaits final passage in the Senate.
“Sharks have survived for millions of years – since before the dinosaurs – but their future is now in question,” Oceana campaign director Whitney Webber. “The demand for shark fins is decimating shark populations and the U.S. must now do its part to help protect them. Oceana applauds the House for passing this important legislation.
“Now it’s time for the Senate to do the same. This legislation is a bright spot of bipartisanship in Congress. Passing this bill into law will take the U.S. out of the fin trade and reduce the demand for fins. It’s time for the U.S. to once again be a leader in shark conservation. The U.S. needs a fin ban now.”
According to the conservation group, Oceana, the global shark fin trade is a major contributor to the decline of shark populations around the world, with fins from as many as 73 million sharks ending up in the market every year. Some shark populations have declined by more than 90% in recent decades due to overfishing; and one-third of identified shark species in the Hong Kong fin trade, the historic center of the global trade, are threatened with extinction.
Shark-related dives in Florida generated more than $221 million in revenue and fueled over 3,700 jobs in 2016, according to an Oceana report. This stands in stark contrast with the total U.S. shark fin export market (under $1 million in the same year).