Photo: Stockfile

US enate passes Shark Fin Sale Act

UNITED STATES
Saturday, June 12, 2021, 06:00 (GMT + 9)

The U.S. Senate passed the Shark Fin Sale Ban Act (SFSEA), bringing a commercial ban on the sale of shark fin and shark fin products closer to reality.

The US Senate passed the law on June 8 as part of a broader legislative package - the US Innovation and Competition Act. This bill will be sent to the US House of Representatives, where both houses will discuss the final form of the package.

The likelihood that the language of the SFSEA revision will be incorporated into legislation is high as US Representative Michael McCall (R-Texas) and US Representative Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (I-Mariana Islands) resubmitted the autonomous law in April. They first introduced the bill in 2019, where it passed with strong bipartisan support before stalled in the Senate.

“The strong support for this law by both parties makes it clear that we must pay more attention to protecting Earth's oceans and life in those oceans,” Sablan said. “Banning the sale of shark fins to end this wasteful and brutal practice is important, but it's just a small step towards giving oceans the full protection they need under federal law. Ultimately, all life on Earth depends on the health of the oceans. "

Hundreds of businesses and non-profit organizations have also supported a ban on the shark fin trade in the past. However, the US fishing industry opposed the bans, citing the country's successful shark fishing.

“The United States has one of the most managed shark fisheries in the world. Our laws and regulations prevent overfishing while increasing commercial fishing opportunities and the economic value of our shark fishery,'' former National Marine Fisheries Service Administrator Chris Oliver said in a statement released on February 18, 2020.``The fishery allows fishermen to sell both meat and shark fins harvested in an environmentally friendly way. "

Oliver argued that a ban on the sale of fins in the United States would have little effect on world trade.

A similar bill passed by the New Jersey Legislature in 2019 also drew criticism from local fishing groups.

"All this law does is punish the state's legal, hard-working fishermen," Greg DiDomenico, executive director of the Garden State Seafood Association, said in a statement. "Rather than recognizing the leadership of our commercial industry that operates globally recognized sustainable shark fisheries, those who support this law will punish New Jersey fishermen by forcing them to throw away the natural resource for no purpose."

As of today, 13 states, more than 45 airlines, 15 major corporations (including Amazon, Hilton and Disney) and 22 shipping companies have refused to transport or trade shark fins. Nearly 700 businesses — including more than 100 dive shops and scuba businesses, several aquariums and SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment — support a national fin ban. Other support includes more than 150 scientists, 150 chefs, 140 fishermen, and 85 surfers and surf businesses.

Sharks are also good for the economy. According to an Oceana report, the value of shark-related dives in Florida in 2016 was more than 200 times the value of shark fin exports for the entire country in the same year. Shark encounters supported more than 3,700 jobs in Florida, with a total economic impact to the state of more than $377 million.

Source: FishRetail 

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