Fin Win
It's a gruesome fate for millions of sharks. Fishermen pull them from the sea, chop off their fins, and toss them back into deep waters, maimed but alive, leaving them to struggle and eventually drown. As the key ingredient of shark fin soup, a traditional dish in some Asian communities, an individual shark fin can sell for thousands of dollars. These predators have been at the top of the saltwater food chain for 400 million years, regulating the populations of other sea life, culling sick animals, and keeping prey species in check. But that vital ecological role has been threatened by the demand for shark fins.
Efforts to ban the sale and trade of fins in California, one of the largest markets outside of Asia, have faced significant economic and cultural barriers, explains Leila Monroe, a staff attorney for NRDC's oceans program. Monroe helped educate opponents of the ban and mobilize supporters -- from fishermen to restaurant owners -- to eliminate the market. These efforts were finally rewarded on October 7, when Governor Jerry Brown signed into law a ban on the sale and trade of shark fins in California, joining such states as Hawaii, Washington, and Oregon.
Monroe believes the success of the California campaign will spread awareness about the threat of extinction faced by sharks from other dangers, such as continued overfishing and habitat destruction. This victory, in other words, is just the beginning."
