Delaware to Consider Shark Fin Trade Ban - Oceana USA
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June 27, 2012

Delaware to Consider Shark Fin Trade Ban

Mardini 3VI71198 La Guardia *** Local Caption *** Shark fins loaded from a drifting longliner. Harbour of Las Palmas, Canary islands, Spain. January 2008. Aletas de tiburón descargadas desde un palangrero de superficie a la deriva en el puerto de Las Palmas, Islas Canarias, España. Enero 2008

With the session ending in just three days, Delaware may become the first East Coast state to ban the shark fin trade. HB 324, the bill banning the sale, trade, possession and distribution of shark fins throughout the state, has already passed the Delaware State Assembly and it’s now up to the Senate to finish the job.

Shark fins are primarily used for shark fin soup, a delicacy in many Asian communities. This demand for shark fins, however, drives the cruel practice of shark finning, slicing a shark’s fins off and throwing the body overboard. This bill would decrease the demand for fins, and prevent Delaware from becoming a state used to transport fins to larger markets in other East Coast states, like New York.

Some species of sharks have declined by as much as 99 percent, mainly from the demand for shark fins. As the top predators in the ocean food chain, sharks help keep our oceans in balance. 

The importance of passing a shark fin ban bill in Delaware is a small step in a bigger picture. Other states that have enacted laws banning shark fin sales include California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii, and similar legislation is awaiting Governor Pat Quinn’s signature in Illinois.

Oceana commends the Delaware State Assembly on their important action to save sharks, and calls upon the Delaware Senate to do the same!