Saving Seafood

Blue Water Fishermen’s Association Opposes Shark Fin Trade Ban

July 5, 2016 (Saving Seafood) — WASHINGTON — In a letter to Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) today, Blue Water Fishermen’s Association (BWFA) Executive Director Terri Lei Beideman expressed opposition to the Shark Fin Trade Elimination Act of 2016, which is currently pending before the U.S. Senate.

“[BWFA opposes] this bill because it will increase legislative discards of shark fins in those shark species which are sustainably harvested, and will continue to be sustainably harvested in accordance with U.S. law,” Beideman wrote. “Unlike what some would lead one to believe, not all shark species are in jeopardy; many species have healthy stocks from which a reasonable, sustainable harvest is permitted.”

The U.S. has led the way in shark conservation for decades, but by eliminating responsibly harvested shark fins from U.S. commerce, the proposed legislation could increase the practice of illegal finning in foreign nations to meet international market demand, Beideman wrote. It could also lead to a new type of wasteful shark finning in the U.S.

“With this new type of finning, instead of shark fins being retained at sea and the shark meat being discarded, as was prohibited in 1993, the meat will be retained and fins discarded upon landing,” Beideman wrote. “These fins will end up in dumpsters along our Nation’s coastlines.”

Read the full letter here

The Garden State Seafood Association strongly opposes the “Shark Fin Trade Elimination Act of 2016”

June 23, 2016 — The following was released by the Garden State Seafood Association:

Finning of sharks (the process of removing fins at sea and discarding the shark) is currently illegal in the U.S. and Garden State Seafood Association (GSSA) supports that law. The Shark Conservation Act of 2010 (SCA) prohibits any person from removing any of the fins of a shark at sea and discarding its body. The GSSA supports this law and existing associated exemptions for spiny dogfish and smooth dogfish sharks.

However, there is a direct federal allowance for the sale and possession of legally-harvested shark fins regulated and supported by NOAA, the U.S. Congress and the Obama Administration. Any effort to overturn this allowance at the federal level is simply not based on fact.

The “Shark Fin Trade Elimination Act of 2016” makes it illegal to sell the fins from legally-harvested shark species, including all large coastal sharks, Threshers and Mako. One result of this requirement may include the fins of these sharks being removed on shore after harvest and needlessly thrown away.

This legislation represents a shameful waste of food and results in decreased revenues to New Jersey fishermen and their families. It will harm commercial fisherman, their families, and coastal communities around the Nation who participate in legal shark fisheries. And since sharks are already sustainably managed by NOAA, the legislation adds no conservation benefit to shark resources.

U.S. fisheries management has a strong conservation ethic with respect to our shark fisheries. The sharks we harvest are sustainably managed by NOAA, the meat is consumed throughout the U.S. and around the world, and the fins associated with these legally-harvested sharks are desired by overseas markets for their food and cultural significance.

Support U.S. fishermen and U.S fisheries management by OPPOSING the Shark Fin Trade Elimination Act of 2016

Read the release as a PDF

About the Garden State Seafood Association:

The GSSA is comprised of commercial fishermen, shore-based seafood processors, commercial dock facilities, seafood markets and restaurants, and various NJ-based commercial fishing industry support businesses. The GSSA membership represents every major port in the State, harvesting approximately $100 million dollars worth of seafood products annually, supporting 2000 jobs, and contributing significantly to the coastal economy of the State of New Jersey.

Challenge to California’s shark-fin ban fails in U.S. Supreme Court

May 24, 2016 — California’s ban on the possession and sale of shark fins survived a legal challenge Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Bay Area suppliers and sellers of shark fin soup, a traditional dish in the Chinese American community.

Federal law prohibits shark “finning,” the removal of fins from sharks, but does not forbid possessing or selling shark fins. California lawmakers went a step further with a statute that took effect in July 2013 and had the impact of removing shark fin soup from restaurant menus.

Restaurant owners and shark fin suppliers, joined by Chinese American community organizations, argued that the state was exceeding its authority and was interfering with a commercial fishing market that the federal government had intended to preserve. But a federal appeals court ruled in July 2015 that the federal laws recognize the importance of conservation and allow states such as California to adopt their own protective measures.

Read the full story at SFGate

Hearings upcoming about proposed shark fin removal rules

May 20, 2016 — OLD LYME, Conn. — Interstate fishing regulators have scheduled public hearings about changes to rules that govern removal of fins from coastal sharks by fishermen.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is set to consider an amendment that would allow fishermen to bring smooth dogfish to land with fins removed as long as their total retained catch is at least 25 percent dogfish.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the New Jersey Herald

ASMFC Coastal Sharks Board Approves Smooth Dogfish Draft Addendum for Public Comment

May 6, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Alexandria, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Coastal Sharks Management Board approved Draft Addendum IV to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Coastal Sharks for public comment. The purpose of the Draft Addendum is to maintain consistency between federal and state FMPs, where possible, and to better incorporate into state regulations the intent of the limited fins-attached exception for smooth dogfish in the Shark Conservation Act of 2010.

Under current regulations, commercial fishermen with only a state commercial fishing license can land smooth dogfish with corresponding fins removed from the carcass. The Draft Addendum proposes amending the FMP to allow smooth dogfish carcasses to be landed with corresponding fins removed from the carcass as long as the total retained catch (all species), by weight, is composed of at least 25 percent smooth dogfish. This option is consistent with the federal catch composition requirement, which was included in NOAA Fisheries’ final rule for Amendment 9.

It is anticipated some states will hold public hearings on Draft Addendum IV; a subsequent press release on the public hearing schedule and Draft Addendum availability will be distributed once state hearings have been scheduled.

Costa Rica government vows to no longer support international shark protections

October 14, 2015 — Environmental groups are outraged by new agreements between the Costa Rican government and the fishing industry which they say will roll back protections for endangered and threatened shark species.

The government says the new measures will guarantee that local fishermen can make a living.

According to a letter outlining the agreements, sent by Presidency Minister Sergio Alfaro to Costa Rican conservation groups, the government will no longer “propose or support” international protections for shark species considered of commercial interest and will urge international couriers that have banned the shipment of shark fins — like UPS and American Airlines — to resume carrying them.

Conservationists say airlines and other couriers are key pieces in the lucrative international shark fin trade, which has contributed to the sharp decline of several shark species.

Read the full story from The Tico Times

U.S. court upholds California ban on shark fins

July 27, 2015 — SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — A federal appeals court upheld California’s ban on possession or sale of shark fins Monday, rejecting a challenge by Bay Area suppliers and sellers of shark fin soup, a traditional dish in the Chinese American community.

The law prohibited selling and serving shark fin soup when it took effect in July 2013. Opponents, including restaurants, Chinese American community organizations and shark fin suppliers, argued that the law exceeded the state’s authority and interfered with a commercial fishing market that federal regulations were intended to preserve. Federal laws prohibit shark “finning,” the removal of fins from live sharks, but do not forbid possessing or selling shark fins.

But the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said federal laws on shark fishing recognize the importance of conservation and allow states to adopt their own protective measures, even if they reduce the number of sharks that might otherwise be caught and sold.

“The purpose of the shark fin law is to conserve state resources, prevent animal cruelty, and protect wildlife and public health,” said Judge Andrew Hurwitz in the 2-1 ruling, which upheld a federal judge’s decision in the state’s favor.

Read the full story at San Francisco Chronicle