Success: Shark Fin Ban Approved By Senate

Target: Rob Portman, U.S. Senator from Ohio

Goal: Celebrate the national ban on the sale of shark fins.

The Senate has just approved a nationwide ban on the import, export, and sale of shark fins. This is a huge victory for animal rights and deserves to be applauded. Shark finning is a horrible and inhumane practice that has been campaigned against by animal welfare activists for years, even here on ForceChange. The dorsal fins are sliced off of live sharks, which are rendered unable to swim and quickly die from predation or suffocation. Shark finning is already illegal in the European Union and Canada, and has been for years.

Shark fins are some of the most expensive seafood items, and some of the most profitable since they are so small and hundreds of them can easily be transported at once. An estimated 26 – 73 million sharks are caught every year for their fins. A few of the sharks commonly hunted for fins include the great white and mako sharks, both of which are listed as vulnerable to extinction. Sharks are apex predators so hunting them causes untold harm on ocean ecosystems. Sign this petition to join in praising the decision to ban the sale of shark fins in the U.S.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Senator Portman,

As you are probably aware, a Senate committee recently passed a bill forbidding the cruel practice of shark finning. This would be impossible without your and so many others’ tireless work to protect animals. Animal rights may usually be thought of as a Democratic issue but without bipartisan support, this issue would surely not have passed. This could save millions of sharks every year from suffering needless deaths in the name of soup.

Sharks are an important part of ocean food chains, and the consequences of hunting them not only affect them but most other ocean fish as well. Fishers will cut off the fins of live sharks so they don’t have to transport all the weight of the full shark, allowing them to kill many more on a single trip to maximize profits. No one is sure exactly how many shark are finned annually, but some estimates place the number at up to one hundred million. This cruel practice has caused some shark species to decline by 80 percent in the last 50 years. The Senate bill may not have passed without the support from you and other Republicans. Thank you for standing up for animal rights and the environment.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: Alex Chernikh