The evidence is in: sharks are disappearing fast from the face of the earth. A major cause is the shark fin trade, fueled by demand for shark fin soup. Tens of millions of sharks are brutally killed each year for their fins; so rampant is over-fishing of sharks that ninety percent of numerous shark species are now gone from the ocean. As top predators in the marine food web, sharks help maintain healthy fisheries and the balance of these complex ecosystems, but now sharks—which have existed for hundreds of millions of years—could soon become extinct.
Modern fishing practices have led to overfishing, and an increasing taste for pricey shark fin soup has exacerbated the drive to fish sharks en mass from the sea for the sake of profits. Shark finning is a cruel fishing practice: the fins and tails are cut from living sharks. The mutilated shark, often still alive, is thrown back into the ocean to endure an often slow and agonizing death. By just taking the fins, which take up less space on a boat than the rest of the low-value shark body, fishermen are able to stay out much longer and pull many more sharks from the sea.
It’s time to put the planet before profits. California lawmakers are on track to lead in the global effort to protect sharks, and preserve their contribution to healthy oceans and the planet. Shark finning is cruel and unnecessary. Use your voice today to join the wave of public support for a California ban on shark fin trade! On February 14, Assembly members Paul Fong (D-Cupertino) and Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) unveiled landmark legislation, Assembly Bill (AB) 376, to ban the shark fin trade in California. Federal law does not ban the shark fin trade, leaving states to make their own decisions on the matter. The state of Hawaii has banned the trade, and Oregon and Washington are in the process of banning the trade. The Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands and Guam recently passed legislative bans to protect sharks.
It’s time for California to stop the shark fin trade here. Sharks, and ultimately the health of our oceans, will continue to be in peril until we enact laws to stop the trade. California, a long-time leader on environmental issues, has a great opportunity to increase the global momentum for a ban on the shark fin trade.
Send your letter today to urge our representatives to pass this bill now! They will hear this bill before the California State Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife on Tuesday, March 22nd. Calls are the most effective means of getting your lawmaker’s ear – click here to find your district representative’s phone number.
Let your representatives know you, their constituents, support the California ban on shark fin trade for the sake of sharks, the sustainability of our oceans, and the health of our planet.
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