U.S. Shark Fin Ban - beneficial or detrimental to conservation?

U.S. Shark Fin Ban - beneficial or detrimental to conservation?

  • beneficial

    Votes: 7 100.0%
  • detrimental

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    7

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Sea Save Foundation

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The Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act is a bipartisan bill to prohibit the sale of shark fins in the U.S. "Shark finning is the inhumane practice of cutting off a shark’s fins, often while the shark is still alive, and discarding the body into the ocean." Shark fins are used in soups and, although flavorless, is used as a delicacy and status symbol in some Asian cultures. Many states have already "enacted laws that prohibit shark fin trade outright, making it illegal to sell, trade, or possess shark fins within their borders", nevertheless "a comprehensive nationwide ban is needed to ensure that the United States does not continue to serve as a driving force behind the slaughter of sharks around the world." Read more about the bill, sponsored by Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Representative Ed Royce (R-CA), here.

The argument against the shark fin ban claims that discarding shark fins and banning their importation will only hurt fishing families economically. Furthermore, this bill would only result in the U.S. ceding shark fin trade to other countries - we should instead promote full utilization of harvested sharks and discourage overharvesting globally. Read the article here by Shaun Gehan, a lobbyist for Sustainable Shark Alliance. The Sustainable Shark Alliance (SSA) represents shark fishermen and dealers on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

What do you think?
shark_081114getty.jpg
 
We should discourage ALL harvesting of sharks worldwide. Somehow demand needs to be curbed and it has to be more economically beneficial to keep them alive than to continue the wanton wholesale slaughter.
 
"The Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act is a bipartisan bill to prohibit the sale of shark fins in the U.S. "Shark finning is the inhumane practice of cutting off a shark’s fins, often while the shark is still alive, and discarding the body into the ocean." Shark fins are used in soups and, although flavorless, is used as a delicacy and status symbol in some Asian cultures...."

Finning, as defined above, is just plain wrong. If it is wrong, passing a law may be the right thing to do to make a moral statement but until behavior changes demand and the price it brings for the commodity will win out, but the law may be part of the process of changing behavior. Problem is, a bill introduced into Congress, even a bipartisan bill, is more about position taking by politicians than it is about substantive public policy. The narrow definintion of "finning" if incorporated into the bill, should not be a threat to legitimate shark fishing, except that in legislation, definitions are seldom narrow because bill are ambiguously written on purpose so the Senator of Member of Congress can blame the bureaucracy when things go awry. Also, keep in mind, that whether or not the practice is wrong is culturally defined. As we contnue to worship at the altar of multiculturalism, wherein there is no normative "wrong" behavior except as defined by members of the culture practicing the behavior, this may be seen as a racist bill.
 
I always love when people try to argue that a ban like this will negatively effect the livelihoods of a small, select group of people. As if society as a whole should prioritize the well being of a tiny fraction of the population who has chosen to make their living by decimating the population of an animal that is vital to the health of the oceans. Its the same idea behind bringing back coal power and pulling out of climate agreements in order to save a few jobs. I'm sorry, I really do have sympathy for the people who might be put out of work by this, but the health and well-being of the many, outweigh the selfish needs of the few.
 
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