Shark finnig ban regulations introduced

WASHINGTON, DC, July 16, 2001 (ENS) - The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has issued proposed regulations to ban shark finning in all federal waters.

Shark finning involves cutting off the fins, which are very valuable in some markets, and discarding the remainder of the shark. In December, Congress passed the Shark Finning Prohibition Act, aimed at eliminating the wasteful practice, and ordering the NMFS to implement new regulations to bar shark finning.

"Congress is concerned about the plight of declining shark populations and the effects of heavy fishing on them, and directed us to prohibit shark finning," said acting NMFS administrator Bill Hogarth.

Existing regulations have prohibited shark finning in federal waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea since 1993. The proposed regulations would define the boundaries of the ban to be an area seaward of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone - three miles from shore out to beyond 200 miles from shore.

The ban would apply to all U.S. citizens and vessels. The new regulations would extend the ban to fisheries off the West Coast and in the Western Pacific.

Under the draft proposal, NMFS regulations would prohibit people under U.S. jurisdiction from engaging in shark finning in international waters or federal waters. It also prohibits people under U.S. jurisdiction from possessing shark fins harvested in either international waters or federal waters without corresponding shark carcasses, or landing shark fins harvested in those areas without corresponding carcasses.

The agency will be accepting comments on the proposal through July 30, 2001. Comments may be sent to: Dr. Rebecca Lent, Regional Administrator, Southwest Region, National Marine Fisheries Service, 501 W. Ocean Boulevard, Suite 4200, Long Beach, California 90802.

(Copyright: Environment News Service)

<< Archives