Political Quotes

“They say: ``As long as responsible management is in place, which is currently the case for sharks in the Gulf of Mexico, there is no need for this legislation.'' They say: ``The practice of shark finning is already illegal in the United States and Louisiana and has been since the 2000s.'' ``These bills will create unnecessary regulatory waste of legally harvested shark parts by not allowing fishermen to sell fins from a legally harvestable shark species.'' These bills ``will either not affect global shark fin markets, or at worst, will encourage further development of unregulated harvest to replace the regulated U.S. landings.'' Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a National Geographic article from this year that has quotes from the Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida. Shark Fin Is Banned in 12 U.S. States--But It's Still on the Menu Shark fin bans, intended to reduce instances of shark finning, are difficult to enforce, leading some to question if they're worth it (By Rachel Fobar, Jan. 16, 2019) But that would be against state law. California is one of 12 states that bans the sale of shark fins--measures to help prevent further declines of shark populations and to deter finning, which has been illegal in U.S. waters since 2000. Although demand for shark fins for soup is greatest in Asian countries, there's significant demand for them in the United States too.…”