American fishermen are digging in for a fight over a congressional proposal to send a message to the rest of the world by shutting down the vestiges of the U.S. harvest of shark fins, prized for soup and traditional medicine in Asia.
The traditional “finning” of sharks – in which they are pulled out of the water, have their fins sliced off and are discarded into the sea, often still alive but unable to swim – is already illegal in the U.S., but fishermen are still allowed to hunt sharks and have their fins removed during processing on land.
A bill backed by Sen. Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, and others promises to ban the sale and possession of shark fins to ensure U.S. fishermen and seafood dealers no longer participate in the global fin trade. Supporters say the bill would close loopholes left open by measures passed in 2000 and 2010 to protect sharks.
