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Massachusetts Becomes The Ninth State to Ban Shark Fin Trade

by | Jul 25, 2014 | Conservation, Fish, Science | 1 comment

Brian_Skerry_Mako_Finning(1)

Massachusetts Governor Patrick signed a new law into place, Thursday July 24 at the New England Aquarium,  which bans the possession or distribution of shark fins in the State. The new law will mostly affect companies that sell imported shark fins. The removal of shark fins is already banned by the State and Federal Government. Shark fin’s, which are considered an Asian delicacy are generally hunted to be served in Shark Fin soup and have a strong demand. The new law criminalizing the trade of shark fin, with potential fines imposes as high as $1000.00 per fin and up to 60 days in jail. “With the passing of this law Massachusetts builds upon its long history of animal protection and environmental stewardship,” the governor said in a statement. MORE

  • Francis is a marine biologist with an MBA and over 20 years of professional aquarium experience. Francis is the former Aquatic Development Manager at Hagen USA., makers of Fluval brand aquarium products. He co-stars on Nat Geo WILD's reality TV series Fish Tank Kings where he is the resident "Fish Geek" and was Director of Marketing at Living Color Aquariums. He is an avid explorer having visited over 45 countries and lived in 7. At 17, he was among the youngest aquarists ever hired by the Vancouver Aquarium, where he worked for 7 years. His aquatic biology experience ranges from larval fish rearing to the design, construction and operational management of renowned public aquariums around the world. Francis is currently head of marketing at the world's largest vertically integrated fish farming company.

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1 Comment

  1. Swim
    Swim on July 25, 2014 at 9:12 pm

    Banning is not the way to solve this problem. Let people aquaculture sharks for sale to the food trade like they do shrimp and other food fish. This gives people a chance to make a living while saving the wild populations.

    Reply

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