Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
1,400 pounds of shark fins seized at PortMiami
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the shipment originated in South America
MIAMI – Wildlife inspectors seized 1,400 pounds of shark fins at a Miami port, officials said on Monday.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the shipment of dried fins arrived in 18 boxes and was believed to have originated in South America, and likely bound for Asia.
Officials estimated the total commercial value to be between $700,000 and $1 million.
Tens of millions of sharks are killed each year by smugglers who cut the fins from live animals, according to conservation groups. They are often turned into shark fin soup, considered a Chinese delicacy.
Meanwhile, while Florida gains notoriety as the epicenter of the shark trade in the United States, state lawmakers advanced legislation Monday that would ban the possession of shark fins.
The Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee endorsed that proposal, as well as another bill that would stiffen penalties against hunters who kill black bears.
Spurred by advocates, the committee voted to join other states in outlawing the sale and possession of shark fins, a prized delicacy in some cultures, and a lucrative one.
“A state that is now the hub of the fin trade needs to take a stand on the issue. If you don’t stop the trade of the shark fins, it’s hard to stop the decimation of the shark population,” said Stefanie Brendl, the founder and executive director of Shark Allies. She is among those pushing Florida lawmakers to act.
Fishermen harvest tens of millions of sharks each year across the globe, hacking off their fins then dumping the creatures — unable to swim without their fins — back into the ocean to drown or bleed to death.
While the practice of finning is already illegal in the United States, most states currently have no prohibitions against possessing and selling shark fins. Advocates are pushing the U.S. Congress to enact a national law banning the shark fin trade. In the absence of such a law, they have been working stateto-state.
The proposal working its way through the Florida Legislature would impose a $4,500 fine on a first-time offender and temporarily restrict fishing privileges for six months. The penalties could rise to as much as $9,500 for a third offense and a permanent revocation of one’s fishing license.
Some fishing groups, including the Organized Fisherman of Florida, oppose the ban because they say it is unnecessary and would hurt fishermen.
“This bill would basically eliminate a legitimate federally regulated, sustainable fishery just to show that we’re willing to send a message to the rest of the world,” said the group’s executive director, Jerry Sansom.
He said the U.S. should instead be working on a world-wide model to showcase responsible harvesting of a seafood product, such as sharks, while being environmental stewards.