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It's Time for Congress to Pass the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act

Dear John,

Sharks are often sensationalized and portrayed as super-predators we should fear. In reality, sharks are not monsters, but apex predators that play a vital role in maintaining balanced marine ecosystems around the world. In fact, we should be afraid for sharks, not of them. Global shark populations are diminishing at an alarming rate. A recent study discovered that shark and ray populations have declined by more than 70 percent in the past 50 years. More than 300 species of sharks and rays ([link removed]) are now listed as either endangered or critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and 75 percent of oceanic shark species ([link removed]) are threatened with extinction.

Many shark populations are in sharp decline in large part due to the global demand for shark fins. In the horrific practice of "finning," a shark's fins are removed on board vessels at sea, often while the shark is still alive. The fins are kept while the conscious, finless animal, left unable to swim, is typically discarded into the ocean to die of suffocation, blood loss, or predation. Every year, fins from an estimated 73 million sharks enter the global market. While shark finning in US waters is illegal, the United States continues to perpetuate the practice by providing a market for shark fin products, as well as serving as a major transit hub for the trade.

With previous legislation, Congress has made clear its stance on the cruel and wasteful practice of shark finning; however, loopholes remain. The Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act (H.R.2811) would close those loopholes by prohibiting the sale, purchase, and possession of shark fins in the United States, thus removing the country from the domestic and international shark fin trade.

This federal prohibition would bring federal law in line with trade and possession bans already in place in 14 states and three US territories, as well as ensure that the United States remains a leader in global conservation efforts to protect shark species from extinction. Last Congress, the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act passed the House with widespread bipartisan support in the form of 287 cosponsors but stalled in the Senate (even though it had amassed 46 cosponsors). This Congress, it passed the Senate as part of the United States Innovation and Competition Act (S.1260), which the House of Representatives is now considering.

Let's make sure that during this Congress, sharks finally get the protection they need.

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What You Can Do
Contact your representative ([link removed]) and urge them to support the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act.

Be sure to share our alert with family, friends, and co-workers, and encourage them to email, call, or write to their representative too. As always, thank you very much for your help!

Sincerely,

Cathy Liss
President

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Photo by Andy Murch

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Animal Welfare Institute
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The Animal Welfare Institute is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 1951 and dedicated to reducing animal suffering caused by people. We seek better treatment of animals everywhere: in the laboratory, on the farm, in commerce, at home, and in the wild.

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