Ocean Conservancy is applauding yesterday''s introduction of the ''Shark Conservation Act of 2009'' by Senator John Kerry. The bill aims to end shark finning in the US.
The Shark Conservation Act would strengthen the US finning ban by prohibiting the removal of shark fins at sea, closing enforcement loopholes, encouraging other countries to adopt shark conservation programs, and establishing a process to allow for sanctions against countries that do not.
The proposed prohibition on the removal of shark fins at sea is the most reliable method for enforcing a finning ban. In addition to ending guess work about whether sharks were finned, the 'fins-attached' strategy improves officials’ ability to determine the species of sharks retained in fisheries, information that is essential for assessing populations and enforcing species-specific protections. The National Marine Fisheries Service ended the removal of shark fins at sea for Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico fisheries in mid 2008. A complicated fin-to-carcass weight ratio remains in place in the US Pacific and most international waters.
“We thank Senator Kerry for his continued leadership in this initiative to safeguard some of the ocean’s most imperiled animals,” said Sonja Fordham, Shark Conservation Program Director for Ocean Conservancy. “We urge the rest of the Senate to help ensure passage of the bill and thereby ensure that the US finning ban is the world’s best and a model for other countries.”
