Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber has signed HB 2838, chief sponsored by Representative Brad Witt (D-Clatskanie), which outlaws the marketing of shark fins in Oregon. Shark fins are an expensive, in-demand item used in shark fin soup.
“All too often shark fins are obtained by means of a barbaric practice commonly referred to as finning. This involves the taking of sharks solely for the purpose of harvesting their fins, while the rest of the fish is usually wasted,” said Rep. Witt. “Worse yet, sharks are often finned alive, only to die an agonizing death of starvation, drowning or bleeding.”
Some estimates show that internationally approximately 73 million sharks are finned and killed each year. Oregon fisheries regulations conform to federal requirements prohibiting the removal of shark fins or tail at sea. However, there is no Oregon law that bans the possession, sale, trade or distribution of shark fins in state. HB 2838 changes that.
In the wake of Oregon action on this issue, similar legislation is now being considered in California and Canada. Washington State and Hawaii have enacted similar laws.
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