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U.S. House passes bill to
Associated Press
restrict shark finningWASHINGTON -- The lucrative practice of slicing off a shark's fins and leaving the fish to die in the ocean would be outlawed in U.S. federal waters under legislation approved by the House.
The legislation passed the House 390-1 yesterday and now goes to the Senate. It is aimed mainly at Pacific Ocean fishermen profiting from markets in Asia, where shark's fin soup is a pricey delicacy. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, was the lone no vote.
The bill would make it illegal to land or possess shark fins without the carcass in U.S. federal waters, which extend out 200 miles from American territories. It would effectively stop finning among most fishermen who lack the storage to transport shark of otherwise little economic value.
The Commerce Department in 1993 took administrative action to halt finning in Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico waters after it became apparent that the practice was affecting shark populations.
But finning has continued in the western and central Pacific, particularly off Hawaii, where the effects on blue shark are disputed.
The department's National Marine Fisheries Service has argued that shark finning is wasteful and should be stopped, but has met resistance from the federal Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, based in Honolulu, which says there is no evidence blue sharks are being depleted.
Sylvia Spalding, a council spokeswoman, said it recently adopted a plan to protect blue sharks that includes an annual quota of 50,000 for the Hawaiian longline fleet and places severe limits on the catching of other shark varieties.
Hawaii's Legislature also recently OK'd a no-finning bill, which awaits the governor's signature.
