The Shark Conservation Act (SCA) of 2010 is a federal law aimed at protecting sharks by prohibiting finning sharks at sea. Like many laws, its intent was good, but limited in scope because it addressed only part of the problem. Since 2010, 10 U.S. states and territories have passed even tougher legislation to protect declining shark populations. Hawaii, California, Washington, Oregon, Illinois, Delaware, Maryland, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa have banned the trade of shark fins, while American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands also prohibited the catch and possession of sharks in their territorial waters. The legislation was adopted after extensive input from the public and reflect the desires of citizens in those states and territories. Now, the federal government (National Oceanic and Admospheric Administration NOAA and National Marine Fisheries) claims the laws of those state and territories may conflict with federal law because they interfere with fishing in U.S. waters. As a result, NOAA is proposing to overturn the decisions of the citizens of those states and territories who, cognizant of the dangers facing sharks, have granted them additional protection. SRI has written to NOAA, hoping that the agency will acknowledge that the individual laws complement, rather than conflict with the SCA. To submit a comment to the Federal Register, go to: https://federalregister.gov/articles/2013/06/17/2013-14331/magnuson-stevens-act-provisions- implementation-of-the-shark-conservation-act-of-2010-correction In the US House of Representatives, Congressman Vern Buchanan of Florida has drafted a resolution to ban the importation of shark fins, but a Resolution is not enforceable; it is only a statement of opinion. SRI, myself and many others have written to the NOAA because we believe that this is the wrong initiative to save the sharks. It is rather an attempt to please the fishing industry. The losers will be the sharks.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Jul 2013 15:47:20 +0000
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