The California Assembly passed a bill to ban the trade of shark fins

The California Assembly passed a bill to ban the trade of shark fins. On September 6, the California Senate passed a bill by a vote of 25-9 to ban the sale, trade and possession in California...

The California Assembly passed a bill to ban the trade of shark fins. On September 6, the California Senate passed a bill by a vote of 25-9 to ban the sale, trade and possession of shark fins in California. The bill needs to be signed into law by the governor. If the bill is signed into law, it would take effect on New Year's Day next year, and existing stocks of shark fins could continue to be sold for another year. The bill was drafted by Chinese-American Congressman Fang Wenzhong. Although he had been eating shark fins since he was a child, Fang Wenzhong began to change his understanding and attitude towards shark fins after reading a record of shark fin trade a few years ago. He said in a press release in May this year that because shark fins are expensive, sharks are killed indiscriminately, and there are not enough sharks in the world to sustain this shark fin trade. Shark fins can sell for up to $600 per pound, and a bowl of shark fins can cost up to $80. Fang Wenzhong said in an interview that he is proud to be Chinese, but such a trade will lead to the extinction of sharks and the imbalance of marine ecology. Without shark fins, Chinese culture will continue to be spread. The Senate bill to ban shark fin is supported by half of Asian-American lawmakers, including Liu Xuanqing. Supporters say it is particularly cruel that an estimated 73 million sharks are killed as a result of the shark fin trade, and that sharks whose fins are removed are thrown back into the sea to die. Southern California Senator Christine Kehoe said that after Asia, California is the world's largest consumer of shark fins. An estimated 85% of exported dried shark fins arrive in California. She believes that California consumption has exacerbated shark killings. Scientists believe shark fins threaten the ecological balance of the ocean. According to media reports, in August this year, an Australian marine science organization sent a letter to the U.S. Marine Fishing Service, calling on the U.S. government to protect the declining shark population by banning the import of shark fins and other shark products from 15 countries that have insufficient shark protection. The 15 countries include China, Taipei, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Spain, etc. While the Senate bill was being debated, it received support from people on the left and right of the chamber. In addition to government officials, the bill also received support from the Animal Protection Association, movie star Bao Daili and basketball star Yao Ming. The House of Representatives passed the shark fin ban bill 65-8 in May this year. In addition to California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington state have also passed similar laws banning shark fins. California Senators Xia Lebo, Liu Yunping and Yu Yinliang raised objections to this bill. They said that because shark fin is a delicacy of Asians and shark meat and shark skin are not prohibited except for shark fin, this bill is discriminatory. Yu Yinliang said that according to the US Marine Fishing Service report, the import and export of shark fins in the United States only accounts for less than 1% of the world's total.