April 17, 2018 — The following was released by the House Committee on Natural Resources: 

Today at 1:00pm the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans will hold a legislative hearing on three bills including H.R. 5248, the bipartisan Sustainable Shark Fisheries and Trade Act, (Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Fla.), and H.R. 1456, the bipartisan Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act of 2017, (Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif.).

Debunking the Shark Finning Myth:

Shark finning is the brutal practice of removing a shark’s fin(s) at sea and returning the carcass, dead or alive, to the ocean. Despite what you may believe, shark finning in the United States is illegal. Today’s debate isn’t whether the act of shark finning is heinous or reprehensible… it is, and members of both parties and industry agree.

After the enactment of the Shark Finning Prohibition Act of 2000 and the Shark Conservation Act in 2010, shark fisheries in U.S. waters have been successfully and sustainably managed. In fact, according to NOAA, there has been a dramatic increase in shark population over the past decade. With that said, as with any other industry, there comes the need for balance. Shark fisheries are valuable contributors to the U.S. economy. Due to the success of the nation’s fisheries management and conservation, the U.S. ranks as one of the top-ten shark fishing nations in the world.

So What’s the Issue? And What’s the Solution?

While shark finning is almost universally banned, some countries still do not have or effectively enforce shark finning bans. While all can agree that this is unacceptable, there are two different approaches to fixing the problem: imposing additional regulations on U.S. fishermen to stem the tide of trade of inhumanely obtained shark fins (H.R. 1456) or to leverage access to U.S. markets to encourage foreign nations to adopt strong shark conservation measures (H.R. 5248).

Unintentional Consequences of Overregulating *Already Regulated* Fisheries:

While we all agree that the illegal trade of inhumanely obtained shark fins needs to be address, it must be done in a way that doesn’t penalize those that follow the rules.

One of today’s witnesses Alan Risenhoover, Director of the Office of Sustainable Fishers under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, lays it on the table: “We cannot support the Shark Fin Sale Elimination Act (H.R. 1456) because the bill’s negative impact on U.S. fishermen would outweigh its minimal benefit to shark conservation.  The United States currently has effective laws and associated regulations that prevent shark finning and sustainably manages its fisheries.  As written, this bill does not meet its intent to improve the conservation and management of domestically harvested sharks.  It prohibits the possession and sale of shark fins.  This would hurt  U.S. fishermen who currently harvest and sell sharks and shark fins in a sustainable manner under strict federal management.  Furthermore, the bill does not significantly curb international trade in shark fins where the majority of trade in shark fins occurs.”

Imposing stricter regulations or removing sustainably sourced U.S. shark fins off the market could shift demand to bad actors and pave the way for a black market, unregulated supply. Nobody wants that.

Learn more at their website here.