Monday, May 20, 2013
Oregon House OKs shark bill
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, May 01, 2011
The Oregon House unanimously passed a bill Friday that would ban the sale of shark fins used in a traditional Chinese soup.
House Bill 2838 now goes to the Senate. The bill prohibits the possession and distribution of shark fins and carries a fine of up to $720 for violations. It makes an exception for spiny dogfish, a small shark that accounts for 300,000 pounds in landings by commercial fishermen each year. Sport fishermen with a valid license are not affected.
About 150 sharks are caught each year off Oregon, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Hawaii has already adopted a ban. A similar ban in Washington state is awaiting the governor's signature and another in California is pending in the Legislature.
Whit Sheard of the marine conservation group Oceana said that winning a ban in Oregon and other West Coast states is part of a campaign to build international support for protecting the tens of millions of sharks killed each year for soup.
California passes new law banning sale of shark fins
Oregon bill banning shark fins gets support
California bill would ban shark fins
New York may ban shark fin sales, following other states
Shark bill heads to Obama
Shark fin ban debuts with mixed reactions
Hawaii restaurants adjust to shark fin ban
Chinese-American community divided over proposed shark fin ban
Sign federal shark finning ban
