Jim's Sharebook 

Shark finning, a practice that involves cutting off the fins and tails of live sharks to be sold or distributed while the rest of the shark is thrown back into the ocean to bleed to death, is on its way to becoming illegal in California. The California Senate passed AB 376, which, if signed by Governor Jerry Brown, will end the sale and possession of shark fins.

AB 376 not only eliminates the practice of finning but also proposes a ban on importing shark fin products, which, due to California’s large demand for shark fins, will have an international effect hopefully leading to the end of finning worldwide. 73 million shark fins are used in soup ever year ranging from $80 to $100 a bowl and ordered at restaurants as a symbol of money, power and status. Shark fin has no nutritional value and is highly controversial due to the method in which the sharks are caught and the fact that many shark species are endangered.

Already illegal in Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, finning is an inhumane practice that is leading to the extinction of sharks and needs to be made illegal in order to preserve the wildlife in our oceans. By signing the petition below you will be urging Governor Brown to end the practice of finning in California helping to save endangered species around the world.