Opponents of California Shark Fin Ban (AB 376) Hire Expensive Lobbyists

California's proposed ban on the sale of shark fins has been garnering all kinds of support in the Golden State. Celebrities from reputable chefs to professional basketball player Yao Ming have publicly urged lawmakers to vote in favor of AB 376, a bill that would ban the sale of shark fins in California. Here on Change.org, the Asian Pacific American (APA) Ocean Harmony Alliance's petition in support of AB 376 has earned nearly 17,000 signatures so far.

But as the momentum behind this bill builds, opponents are also turning on the heat — and they're paying out the nose for it.

Bill Wong is one of the members of the APA Alliance, a coalition of Asian-American organizations, celebrities, and community leaders who support the passage of AB 376. Wong says that the opponents of this bill recently hired two of California's top-paid lobbyist firms, Lang Hansen O'Malley & Miller and Sloat, Higgins, Jensen & Associates. These firms represent major corporate clients like Walmart, Altria, Accenture, and Anthem Blue Cross, so their anti-shark conservation efforts are unfortunately likely to make a big splash.

These lobbyists represent the folks who stand to lose the most from shark conservation efforts — Chinese restaurants and shark fin fisheries, traders, and processors. Shark fin soup is a traditional Chinese dish, especially popular at major events like weddings and banquets. Major opponents of AB 376 have criticized the bill as legislation that directly attacks the Chinese culture.

But as most environmentalists and many Asian-Americans would tell you, healthy oceans need a thriving shark population. More than 70 million sharks are killed every year through finning, a brutal process where fishermen slice of the fish's fins and tails, then throw the animals back into the water to bleed, starve, or suffocate to death. More than one-third of shark species are currently threatened with extinction. Not only does finning and the demand for shark fin soup decrease shark populations, it threatens to throw entire ecosystems out of whack. Sharks are apex predators that sit at the top of oceanic food chains — decrease their populations too significantly and the entire ecosystem can crumble.

The health of oceans and sharks themselves hinges on the passage of AB 376. This bill will be voted on by California's Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee tomorrow, June 14th. Let's tell senators that the oceans need shark more than we need shark fin soup. Sign the APA Alliance's petition asking California lawmakers to vote in favor of AB 376.

Photo credit: StormyDog via Flickr