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Shark Fin

California Bans Shark Fin
Food News

California Is Latest State to Ban Shark Fin

Do you recall how last year, Hawaii became the first state to ban shark finning?
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Do you recall how last year, Hawaii became the first state to ban shark finning? Well, California followed suit this past weekend. On Saturday, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law that bans the possession, sale, and distribution of imported shark fins, calling the practice "cruel" and the new legislation "in the interest of future generations." Fins already in the state may be sold and possessed until July 1, 2013.

Shark fins are used to make shark fin soup, an expensive Chinese delicacy that can start at a whopping $40 per bowl. Although a number of public figures — Leonardo DiCaprio, Scarlett Johansson, and Yao Ming, to name a few — have spoken out against the practice, others believe the ban to be an assault on Chinese culture and cuisine.

While Oregon and Washington have also implemented similar laws, California is the largest and most influential state to pass the ban thus far. With such a critical state on board with the ban, do you expect the rest of the country to follow?

California Considers Shark's Fin Ban; Controversy Ensues
Eco

Shark Fin Bans: Environmentally Conscious or Culturally Insensitive?

In less than four months, the state of Hawaii will be shark fin-free, and soon, the same could happen in California.
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In less than four months, the state of Hawaii will be shark fin-free, and soon, the same could happen in California. The golden state is currently deliberating a piece of legislation that would ban the sale and possession of shark fins, too.

Proponents of the ban don't just cite the inhumane practice of cutting fins off live sharks, but the staggering drop in ocean shark populations as well: 73 million sharks are killed every year, and populations are just 10 percent of what they used to be. And, argues one San Francisco food critic, there are plenty of viable (and innocuous) substitutes for shark's fin.But not everyone feels this way. "The practice of shark's fin soup has been in our culture for thousands of years. There ought to be a way to find a balance between the environment and preserving culture and heritage," California state Sen. Leland Yee maintained.

"While we're at it, I'd also ban Caspian caviar and bluefin tuna until their fisheries recover. No doubt, that would raise an uproar in certain other cultural communities," Chinese-American chef Jonathan Wu retorted. Tell me what you think: is banning shark's fin environmentally conscious, or culturally insensitive?

Source: Flickr User closari

Hawaii Becomes First U.S. State to Ban Shark Fin
Politics

No Shark Fin Soup For You! Hawaii Bans Shark Fin

Hawaii is still the land of poke and poi, but come 2011, don't expect to find shark fin.
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Hawaii is still the land of poke and poi, but come 2011, don't expect to find shark fin. On Friday, governor Linda Lingle passed a bill prohibiting the possession, sale, or distribution of shark fins come July 1, 2011, making Hawaii the first U.S. state to ban the commodity. Shark fin is considered a delicacy in certain Asian countries, particularly in Chinese cuisine, where it's been served in opulent dishes since the Ming Dynasty.The practice of shark finning has long been the subject of animal rights activists, who cite that sharks are being killed for their fins at a shocking rate of 89 million per year, disrupting the ocean habitat. I'm torn on this issue. On the one hand, I understand the delicacy's environmental repercussions; on the other, I believe such laws are unlikely to reform Asian palates. Where do you stand? Do you see other states following suit?

Source: Flickr User avlxyz