Shark populations have been severely depleted worldwide, with declines of 99 percent in some areas due to ocean pollution, overfishing, and high demand for their fins. Proposals to restrict the trade in three species of hammerhead sharks are among the wildlife protection measures now being considered by 175 member nations at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) which began last weekend in Qatar. Click here to watch a harrowing video being screened in Qatar for the delegates.
Shark populations have been severely depleted worldwide,
with declines of 99 percent in some areas due to
ocean pollution, overfishing, and high demand for their fins.
But here at home, lawmakers are taking action as well. The Shark Conservation Act has passed the House of Representatives and the Senate Commerce Committee, and is awaiting action in the full Senate. The legislation, S. 850 by Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) and H.R. 81 by Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam), would strengthen enforcement and crack down on the cruel and wasteful practice of shark finning—cutting the fins off a shark and tossing the mutilated animal back into the ocean to die. And a new resolution, H. Res. 1180, introduced by Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) would support stronger protections for sharks and other rare wildlife species at the CITES meeting.
At the state level, the Hawaii legislature is considering a path-breaking measure to aid in the conservation and protection of sharks. S.B. 2169, championed by Senator Clayton Hee (D-Kahuku, La'ie, Ka'a'awa, Kane'ohe) would prohibit the sale, possession, distribution and transfer of shark fins throughout the state. The bill would put an end to the trade in shark fins in Hawaii and also prohibit the sale of shark fin soup or other products containing fins.
Ironically, while sharks are killed, finned and served in soup in a number of restaurants across Hawaii, native Hawaiians continue to revere this sacred animal, also known as “manō,” a protector of the oceans and Hawaii’s fisherman. The shark is valued as an apex predator whose health and welfare affects all other marine species and the entire ocean’s ecosystem.
Tens of millions of sharks are hauled up on the decks of fishing boats around the world every year, only to have their fins hacked off, often while they’re still alive. The mutilated sharks are then thrown back into the ocean, because the meat of most shark species is unpalatable and fishermen don’t want to use up freezer space by storing their bulky carcasses. The fins, on the other hand, fetch a very high price in East Asia, where they’re used to make shark fin soup.
While the United States bans shark finning in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico fisheries (but not yet to the Pacific), and finning is banned in some other countries, there are no restrictions anywhere in the world on the possession, sale or distribution of shark fins or shark fin soup, other than for protected species. The Hawaii bill would set a standard for other states to follow, by helping to dry up the demand for shark fins and remove the financial incentive for killing these creatures at sea.
S.B. 2169 passed the state Senate and last week, under the leadership of Chairman Angus McKelvey (D-Lahaina, Kaanapali, Kapalua, Maalaea, Kihei), was unanimously approved by the House Economic Revitalization, Business and Military Affairs Committee. The Hawaii House should pass the measure and send it to Governor Linda Lingle for her signature—sending a message that sharks in the world’s oceans deserve protection from the brutal trade in their fins.
