NCMC Conservation News - US House of Representatives Approves Shark Finning Bill, H.R. 5741

Information on NCMC's conservation efforts for sailfish, marlin, swordfish, tuna, and sharks

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APPROVES
SHARK FINNING BILL

7/8/08 We are pleased to report that the Shark Conservation Act of 2008 (H.R. 5741) was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on July 8, 2008. The purpose of the Act is to strengthen the U.S. shark finning ban - more specifically, close a recently exposed loophole in the Shark Finning Prohibition Act of 2000. The Act includes a critical amendment that requires sharks be landed with their fins attached. The bill will now move to the Senate.

The loophole (described below) in the Shark Finning Prohibition Act of 2000 prompted Rep. Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-GU), Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans (Subcommittee), to introduce the Shark Conservation Act of 2008 (H.R. 5741) in the House of Representatives in April 2008.

On March 17th, shark conservation efforts in the United States suffered a major setback when the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of a vessel engaged in transshipping shark fins from foreign vessels engaged in shark finning.

The American vessel was stopped about 250 miles off the coast of Guatemala in 2002. Approximately 65,000 pounds of shark fins worth over $600,000 were seized. Judges ruled in favor of the vessel because the ship was not an actual fishing vessel. According to the Shark Finning Prohibition Act of 2000, it is illegal for a “fishing vessel” to possess shark fins without the rest of the carcass. This unintended loophole prompted Rep. Bordallo to introduce the Shark Conservation Act of 2008 (H.R. 5741) to strengthen the U.S. shark finning ban and encourage other countries to follow suit with comparable regulatory programs or face the possibility of U.S. sanctions.

NCMC applauds Rep. Bordallo for her swift response to the Court of Appeals ruling and strongly supports the Shark Conservation Act of 2008. However, as an active member of the Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Advisory Panel to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), we frequently hear about the challenges officials face in enforcing the shark finning ban. Current law permits a fisherman to “dress” a shark at sea, or in other words, remove its fins for more efficient storage onboard. Once fins are removed from a shark, it is nearly impossible to match fins to carcasses. The only way to effectively enforce the shark finning ban is to require fishermen to keep the fins attached to the shark until they arrive back to port. This is why we are pleased that the amendment to land sharks with fins attached was included in the Act.

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