BOSTON — July 24, 2014 — Gov. Deval Patrick plans to visit the New England Aquarium on Thursday morning to sign a bill that bans the possession and sale of shark fins in Massachusetts, according to a group supporting the legislation.
The bill creates a punishment of between $500 and $1,000 per fin and up to 60 days of imprisonment.
"With the passing of this law Massachusetts builds upon its long history of animal protection and environmental stewardship," Patrick said in a press release circulated Wednesday by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "I congratulate the passionate animal welfare and ocean conservation leaders who worked together to ensure the conservation of sharks and our oceans for generations to come."
Nine-year-old shark advocate Sean Lesniak of Lowell, who wrote a letter urging the Senate to pass the bill (H 4088), will attend the 11 a.m. bill-signing ceremony.
Although federal law prohibits shark finning, the bill’s lead sponsor Sen. Jason Lewis (D-Winchester) said in June that “more than a dozen” restaurants in Massachusetts serve shark fin soup.
According to the MSPCA, the economic market for fins continues to promote shark finning in international waters despite state and federal laws against it.
Read the full story from the Gloucester Daily Times