Hawaii Senate Bill 2169
Ground breaking legislation in the making
In January Senator Clayton Hee introduced a bill that would set a new standard for shark finning legislation. It would prohibit the possession, trade and sale of shark fins in the State of Hawaii, including State waters.
No finning allowed in State Waters. No fins can be brought in, sold or even kept for personal consumption. Only certain species of sharks could be fished by commercial fisheries, and only in federal waters.
This would also mean the end of shark fin soup in Hawaii.
Everyone that knows about the horrors of shark finning understands why this is such an important bill. Furthermore if this bill becomes law, it would also serve as an example that other US States could follow. It would show the world the strong commitment Hawaii has pledged to ocean conservation.
This bill would also support and strenghten the Shark Conservation Act that is being considered on a federal level.
Even if there are few signs of finning in Hawaii to the casual observer, the truth is that there are containers filled with tons of fins at Honolulu harbor. And there are many restaurants that sell shark fin soup.
The State plays an important part in the Pacific finning industry.
Finning sharks for the purpose of shark fin soup is destroying ecosystems all over the world. It is also offensive to the Hawaiian culture as they feel a close connection to sharks and the ocean. Many of the larger fish and marine mammals are seen as the Hawaiian’s Aumakua (manifestation of ancestors).
The further this bill has traveled within the legislature, the more controversy and opposition it has received.
Most concerns were alleviated by a clarification of the language, such as including an exemption for research purposes.
Fishing rights were also debated, but since the only fishery for meat from sharks in Hawaii is from Mako and Thresher, which are becoming increasingly rare, a complete restriction of all shark catches seemed like the only way to go. There were discussions to allow catch of Thresher and Blue sharks and to allow the use of those fins for local consumption of shark fin soup, but such an exemption made enforcement once again much too problematic.
(If fins were allowed to be marketed, it would create a loophole that would allow a channel for other fins to be mixed in. Once finned, it is very hard to make out what species of shark the fin was taken from).
Also, if the sale of shark fin soup were continued, it would be nearly impossible to prove that the fins came from a shark that was landed whole in the State.
It is also clear that we cannot stop an industry if we don’t stop the very product that drives the industry. The cruel practice of Shark finning exist on such a large scale because of shark fin soup.
A comparison would be to prohibit the slaughter of elephants, without prohibiting the sale of ivory products.
An absolute prohibition on fins is also the easiest and most realistic law to enforce.
The ongoing battle:
Shark organizations, activists, celebrities, business leaders and leading marine scientists from all over the world have been actively lending their support through hundreds of letters, statements, phone calls, videos and photos.
Support for this bill, locally and internationally, has been overwhelming. Polls have shown an obvious majority of 72% of Hawaii residents want shark finning to stop and are against allowing shark fin soup.
Scientific studies, statements from marine and conservation experts, fisheries trends and numbers – all point to the the same fact – FINNING HAS TO STOP.
But despite all that, a small, but powerful group that opposes this bill, may still succeed in killling it, because of the leverage they have within the legislature.
In Hawaii, the driving forces behind this bill are:
Senator Clayton Hee and his staff
Inga Gibson from the Humane Society of the United States
Vicky and Ginny Tiu
Stefanie Brendl from Shark Allies
Please contact Stefanie Brendl or Inga Gibson for more information
StefanieBrendl@sharkallies.org
igibson@humanesociety.org
See all the press that has been generated by this bill, plus more anti shark finning action and campaigns
Reports and Video Links
Read about the success stories in Shark Conservation on Shark Safe Network
http://www.sharksafenetwork.com/success_stories.php
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