I have great news to share – this week the California State Senate passed AB 376, the bill banning the possession and sale of shark fins!
We owe thanks not only to the bill’s bills authors – Assemblymembers Paul Fong and Jared Huffman – but to CLCV members as well. With nearly 3,500 emails, and 300 phone calls to swing voters in both the Assembly and Senate, our efforts were nothing short of instrumental in getting this bill to the Governor’s desk.
The bill went way beyond garnering bi-partisan support, too. Senator Doug La-Malfa, one of our early targets, not only ended up voting for the bill – he also testified in support of it.
However, the fight is not over yet. We still need the Governor’s signature to ensure the protection of sharks and our marine ecosystems.
The past few years have seen a significant decline in shark populations because of over-fishing for their fins — and without healthy shark populations, our oceans suffer. As predators near the top of marine food webs, sharks help maintain the balance of marine life in our oceans. The massive depletion of sharks has cascading effects throughout the oceans’ ecosystems.
Banning shark fins is a necessary step to stabilize shark populations in the same way that bans on the sale and possession of ivory tusks have helped elephants.
Thanks again to our members for staying engaged on behalf of our finned friends!
