Shark Fin Soup

[JohnR]

I read in the paper this morning that the House of Representatives had passed, 390-1, legislation that would ban all finning of sharks in US waters out to 200 miles. This measure still needs to be passed by the Senate.

There is currently a ban on shark finning in the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico...

[rogerpc]

Rather cruel was to do in a fish. I think it's about time, don't U????

That's great! I once saw a program where an oriental fishing ship was catching and finning sharks. It was deplorable. They brought the sharks on board, cut off their dorsal and pectoral fins, and then threw them back into the sea to slowly circle down to the ocean floor and then die. What a waste! There complete detachment from the fact that the sharks were living creatures that they were didmembering and throwing away was shocking. I'll never forget seeing it. Anyway, I'm glad they are being offered protection.

[JohnR]

Shark finning does go a bit overboard, doesn't it? I see where you can have a viable comercial fishery that is efficient in its use of resources but cuting off fins for soup? Come on! What a waste of a species. The worst thing about it is when a shark too small to have reproduced is finned. Sharks take years to become old enough to breed and they don't have many offspring... This ban makes some sense to me.

[capecodder]

I wonder about the details of the bill. I saw an article showing Hawaii as a major finning center and I wonder if the specifics include posession of fins or just the act of finning. If it is the act, then perhaps the bill won't have much of an effect on Hawainn finners if they can go outside the 200 miles to fet the sharks. This practice is deplorable and I hope the bill effectively ends it.