The IUCN/SSC Shark Specialist Group
Shark News 13: July 2001
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United States Bans Shark Finning
Sonja Fordham, The Ocean Conservancy
Congress Takes Action
In late 2000, the United States Congress adopted legislation to prohibit shark finning - the practice of slicing off a shark's fins and discarding its carcass at sea - in all US waters. Former US President Bill Clinton signed the "Shark Finning Prohibition Act" into law last December. Prior to this overall ban, finning was permitted in the US Pacific, yet prohibited since 1993 in the US Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. In addition to banning finning, the new legislation provides for initiation of related international negotiations and authorizes shark fishery and population research.
Wasteful Practice
Shark fins are the principal ingredients in shark fin soup, an Asian delicacy that can sell for as much as $100 a bowl. By the late 1990s, tens of thousands of sharks caught as bycatch were being killed just for their fins in tuna and swordfish fisheries of the US Pacific. In 1998, the number of sharks finned in the waters surrounding Hawaii topped 60,000. Because fins comprise only a small percentage of a shark's bodyweight, finning wastes 95% or more of each shark. In addition, observer surveys from Honolulu based longline vessels revealed that 86% of the sharks finned were brought to the boat alive.
The waste associated with finning prompted a call to ban the practice from conservationists, scientists, local fishermen and the general public. Allowing finning in the US Pacific was also inconsistent with a number of US fisheries policies and ran counter to the recommendations of several international fishery agreements, including the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) International Plan of Action (IPOA) for Sharks.
The New Legislation
Under the new law, it is illegal to remove shark fins and discard the carcass at sea and land or have fins on board without the corresponding carcass. In addition, the US Departments of Commerce and State are directed to seek an international ban on finning and initiate amendment and development of bilateral and multilateral shark agreements to protect sharks. The legislation calls for government investigation of the nature and extent of finning and the transshipment of fins while the US is to urge other governments to collect data regarding shark stock abundance, bycatch and trade, and submit National Plans of Action for Sharks to FAO. The new law also authorizes a Department of Commerce shark research program in order to collect data for assessments and to research fishing gear and practices that safeguard fishermen, minimize incidental catch of sharks and maximize shark utilization. The government agencies are to submit a report to Congress that sets forth a plan of action for international shark conservation and evaluates the progress of existing efforts. Regulations to implement the new finning legislation were released for public comment in June 2001.
International Finning Bans
Recognizing that cooperation among fishing nations is key to achieving effective management of migratory fish stocks, the United States has been a leading proponent of international shark conservation initiatives. In a statement released at the bill's signing, President Clinton reinforced US commitment to the FAO IPOA for Sharks and pledged that the US would intensify efforts to achieve finning bans and related measures by other nations and within international management bodies.
Fins drying at Cape Town docks, South Africa.
Photo: Bruce McCoubrey/WildAid.
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Other national legislation
Countries which have already banned shark finning are Brazil, Costa Rica, Oman, South Africa and Australia.
Sonja V. Fordham
Fish Conservation Project Manager, The Ocean Conservancy
1725 DeSales Street, NW; Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036, USA
Email: sfordham@oceanconservancy.org
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