April 22, 2009
January Jones + Sharks
BY: Emily Fisher
Two exciting news items for Earth Day!First, Actress January Jones, who plays Betty Draper on AMC’s award-winning series, “Mad Men,” has officially joined Oceana as a spokesperson for Oceana’s campaign to save sharks.Jones recently traveled with Oceana to the Bimini Biological Field Station in the Bahamas to swim with sharks and see research being done on local shark populations. Keep an eye on January’s Scared for Sharks site, and check back soon for photos and video, and a new shark conservation public service announcements (PSAs) coming soon. Second, this morning Senator John Kerry (D-MA) introduced the Shark Conservation Act of 2009 in the Senate. Among other measures, the Shark Conservation Act of 2009 would require all sharks caught in U.S. waters to be landed whole with their fins still attached, which would end shark finning, the process of cutting off the fins and discarding the carcass at sea. The House of Representatives passed similar legislation (H.R. 81) in March 2009, now we’re hoping the Senate will quickly pass this important piece of legislation.