Political Quotes

“I would like to thank the Resources Subcommittee Chairman Jim Saxton and the Ranking Democrat Mr. Faleomavaega for their work on this resolution. Indeed, H. Con. Res. 189 is important because it has helped elevate the awareness of shark finning practices in the Pacific. I'm sure that many Americans have been moved, as I have, by television images showing workers aboard fishing vessels, both foreign and domestic, slicing off the fins of caught sharks and throwing the carcasses back into the ocean. It's easy to understand why we are moved by these pictures. They are very powerful and appeal to our sense of human decency and respect for 'not wasting our kill.' The resolution before us however, does not take any comprehensive approach to end the practice of shark finning. Though it presents us with statistical data showing us the enormous increase of shark finning activity in the Pacific over the past eight years, it neglects to address the volume of U.S. imports which helps to support the demand for shark finning to occur. If we want this resolution to offer meaningful and substantive changes in the treatment of sharks, this resolution should address a ban on importation.”