Dan Webster

It is absolutely reasonable to be totally against finning but not against the trade and use of the fins, and still be a shark conservationist.

H.R. 5248, the Sustainable Shark Fisheries and Trade Act introduced by Reps. Webster and Lieu...

I cannot urge you strongly enough to support the SSFTA and oppose the fin ban.

We oppose the practice of shark finning and have long supported the laws passed by Congress to ensure the practice does not occur in U.S. shark fisheries.

The Sustainable Shark Fisheries and Trade Act seeks to leverage access to the U.S. market to encourage foreign nations.

By contrast, Reps. Webster's and Lieu's bill holds other nations to the same conservation and management standards we have adopted in our U.S. fisheries.

Thank you to the witnesses and Chairman Royce for being here today, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Shark finning, not to mention shark overfishing, is just not a problem here.

As apex predators, sharks ensure balance below them in the food chain.

I am honored to come before the Water, Power and Oceans Subcommittee to testify in support of H.R. 5248.

Shutting down the U.S. supply, therefore, will have no real impact on this market.

It has been proven that we can have a sustainable shark fishery.

I believe the conservation of sharks is of paramount importance to the health of our oceans.

the Sustainable Shark Fisheries and Trade Act, which sets U.S. fisheries laws and regulations as a standard for other shark-fishing nations.

I believe Congress should encourage full utilization of the limited, scientifically-determined catch levels of all marine resources.

Addressing the global shark fin trade is vital to shark conservation and the United States should be a leader in tackling this issue.

We all agree that shark finning is cruel and wasteful.

I am joined in supporting H.R. 5248 by a host of commercial fishing groups.

We are very pleased to join these organizations in supporting Congressmen Webster's and Lieu's bill H.R. 5248.

The bill creates an import certification program modeled after the existing shrimp import certification program.

I believe we can do more good by incentivizing other countries to follow our sustainable management practices rather than by just withdrawing from the market altogether, which would hurt worldwide shark conservation.

While I fully support all efforts to stop the horrific practice of shark finning, I have some questions about whether this is a serious issue in U.S. waters and, therefore, whether the heavy-handed approach of the previous bill is…

H.R. 1456 will eliminate a significant number of jobs and impact for the Florida economy.

This bill will do nothing to effectively combat the practice of finning on the high seas and in other countries.

We believe H.R. 5248 or 'SSFTA' is a meaningful and effective alternative to harmful legislation proposed by CA Representative Ed Royce and NJ Senator Cory Booker.