In reference to my September 27, 2010 post concerning shark fin soup, the International Fisheries Agreement Clarification Act (H.R. 81) was passed by Congress on December 21, 2010 and signed into law by President Barack Obama on January 4, 2011.The primary purpose of this bill is to ban the despicable act of shark finning in U.S. waters. The most important diction in the bill is the “fins-attached” policy. For example, if fins (including the tail) are discovered on a fishing vessel not still attached to a shark then it is evidence of wrongdoing. This is an enormous victory for all organizations in support of this bill, but especially a victory for the sharks getting dangerously close to the consequences of low populations.
Organizations in support of H.R. 81:
Born Free USA united with Animal Protection Institute
According to Oceana’s blog, The Beacon, Sharks are especially vulnerable to pressure from human exploitation due to their slow growth rate and low level of reproduction. The Beacon goes on to explain that “Many shark populations have declined to levels where they are unable to perform their roles as top predators in the ecosystem.”
For more background information on Shark Finning, please visit my previous post here.
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