Oregon House passes 'shark fin soup' ban

http://www.katu.com/news/politics/121027329.html

The Oregon House on Friday unanimously passed a bill that would ban the sale of shark fins used in a traditional Chinese soup. With shark fin soup commanding prices that approach $200 a bowl in major cities around the world, it is important that our state join West Coast and international efforts intended to shut down the commercial trading of shark fins. House Bill 2838 now goes to the Senate. The bill prohibits the possession and distribution of shark fins and carries a fine of up to $720 for violations. It makes an exception for spiny dogfish, a small shark that accounts for 300,000 pounds in landings by commercial fishermen each year. Sport fishermen with a valid license are not affected. Whit Sheard of the marine conservation group Oceana said that winning a ban in Oregon and other West Coast states is part of a campaign to build international support for protecting the tens of millions of sharks killed each year for soup, most of which is consumed in Asia. Fishermen cut the fins from sharks, then throw them alive back in the ocean, where they starve to death or suffocate because they can no longer swim, conservation groups say. Environmentalists warn that sharks are slow to reproduce, serve a key function as a top predator in ocean ecosystems, and their survival is threatened by the demand for their fins, which is likely to grow as the Chinese economy continues to improve.

I hope this passes the senate too. Steps like this for marine conservation are really crucial.