In a statement, Governor Brown said the practice of cutting the fins off of living sharks and throwing them back in the water is not only cruel but harms the health of our oceans.
BOB DOUGHTY: Wildlife activists say seventy-three million sharks are killed each year, mainly for their fins. Sarah Sikich, of the group Heal the Bay, praised the decision to ban the sale or possession of shark fins in California. She says much of the demand for shark fins comes from the state.
SARAH SIKICH: “California is a leading importer of shark fin to the U.S. It’s estimated that eighty-five percent of the shark fin that enters the U.S. comes through California. Because the fin is driving the market value of the shark, it’s most important to target that aspect.”
A bowl of shark fin soup being served at a Chinese restaurant in the Chinatown neighborhood of San Francisco, California
California has the largest Chinese-American population in the United States – an estimated one point one million people. Some Chinese-American politicians supported the shark fin ban. But opponents have described the measure as an attack on Chinese culture. State senator Ted Lieu voted against the ban.
TED LIEU: “You can slaughter this highly vulnerable shark for fish and chips but a Chinese restaurant couldn’t take a shark fin from one of the hundreds of shark species (that) are nowhere near endangered and to me that is completely discriminatory and very unfair.” (:18)
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25