Florida is in line to become the 14th state to pass law that would a law prohibit the sale, trade, distribution and offering for sale of shark fins and the possession of a shark fin that has been separated from a shark that is caught and released.
The measure comes in the wake of a similar law passed in New Jersey this month. The Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation is among the conservation groups supporting the passage of the proposed legislation, Florida HB 401 and SB 680, which were introduced in late 2019.
“We continue to push this legislation in Florida and nationally,” said Greg Jacoski, executive director of the GHOF. “While federal law and Florida law already ban the act of removing a shark’s fins at sea, the import and sale of shark fins from elsewhere remains legal in several states.
“The amount and types of fins that are traded is largely unknown and unregulated and includes species of sharks that are endangered. By participating in the trade of these fins, Florida is complicit in propagating the destructive and inhumane practice of shark finning.”
Research from Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Guy Harvey Research Institute(GHRI) determined that fins from upwards of 73 million sharks end up in the global market annually. This demand fuels the act of shark finning. The dramatic and ongoing depletion of Florida natural resources continues to negatively impact the state’s economy. Offshore anglers, recreational/commercial fishing, dive shop and tour boat operators and related Florida businesses will be hurt if the depletion of this vital natural asset continues.
“This is about stopping the unsustainable harvest of sharks on a global scale,” Jacoski said. “Floridians will still be able to fish for sharks as long as they don’t sell the fins.”
Photo and video courtesy of George Schellenger/GHOF
