Major Progress: California Senate Passes Shark Fin Ban!

by Sarah Parsons · 2011-09-07 09:45:00 UTC
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In a momentous move for the environmental community, the California Senate passed AB 376, the statewide ban on the sale of shark fin. AB 376 will now move on to Governor Jerry Brown, who will hopefully sign the bill into law.

Getting senators to approve AB 376 was certainly an uphill battle. Lobbyists fought hard to get lawmakers to vote against the legislation, claiming that it was an assault on Chinese-American culture. Shark fin soup is a Chinese dish served at important events like weddings and retirement parties. While states like Hawaii, Washington, and Oregon have already banned the sale of shark fins in their states, the vast majority of U.S. shark fin consumption occurs in California, so AB 376 was especially contentious in the state.

Members of the Asian-American community served a crucial role in getting legislators to pass AB 376. The Asian Pacific American Ocean Harmony Alliance (APA Alliance), for example, formed to give voice to Asian Americans who support a shark fin ban. The APA Alliance started a petition on Change.org urging lawmakers to vote in favor of AB 376. More than 23,000 Change.org members have signed onto the campaign so far, and people can continue to sign the petition until Governor Brown signs AB 376 into law.

The passage of AB 376 is certainly important for sharks, but also for the oceans at large. More than 73 million sharks are killed every year through finning, a practice that has sent some shark species' populations plummeting by as much as 90 percent in recent years. Sharks are apex predators, meaning that they serve a crucial role in keeping other marine creatures' populations in check. When sharks suffer, entire oceanic ecosystems suffer.

Getting senators to pass AB 376 was a major coup for conservationists, but this legislation isn't a done deal yet. Governor Brown still needs to sign AB 376 into law, and you can bet that lobbyists will continue trying to pressure him into vetoing the shark ban.

That's why we need to keep up the pressure. Please sign the Asian Pacific American Ocean Harmony Alliance's petition urging Governor Brown to approve AB 376.

Photo credit: StormyDog via Flickr

Sarah Parsons is Change.org's Sustainable Food Editor. Her work has appeared in Popular Science, OnEarth, Audubon and Plenty.

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