Care2 member? Log in

Sharks Cut and Left to Die - Outlaw the Practice of Shark Finning Once and For All

Target: U.S. Senate
Sponsored by: Oceana

In 2000, the U.S. government enacted the Shark Finning Prohibition Act, intending to stop shark finning. This Act made it illegal to have fins aboard a fishing vessel without the corresponding carcass.

However, fishermen can land fins in a specified ratio to the shark carcasses. A ratio system is not the best way to enforce a finning ban because some carcasses could still be discarded at sea. Also, it is difficult to prove the carcasses on board the vessel actually match the fins on board, which could allow for the landing of fins from prohibited shark species.

The Shark Conservation Act of 2008 would require that all vessels, not just fishing vessels, follow this law and remove the ratio of fins to carcass weight. In addition, the bill encourages international efforts to protect shark populations. Tell Congress to do now what they thought they did eight years ago - close the loophole in the Shark Finning Prohibition Act.

deadline: Ongoing...
goal: 20,000

11,453
signatures!

Sign Petition! see who signed this

Prefix

*First Name

*Last Name

don’t display my name

*Email

*Address

*City

*State

*Province

*Zip/Postal

*Country

Why should the lives of thousands of sharks be saved every year by closing this loophole in the law?

	I agree to Care2's terms of service.
	We respect your privacy. Your email address is used to confirm your signature and is NOT displayed publicly.

Having problems signing this letter? Please let us know.

Dear Congressmember [Name],

I am urging you to support HR 5741, the Shark Conservation Act of 2008.

Each year, humans kill more than 100 million sharks worldwide. Sharks are highly vulnerable to pressure from human activities because of their slow growth and low reproductive potential.

Tens of millions of sharks are killed each year for their fins alone. Congress passed the Shark Finning Prohibition Act in 2000 to end shark finning in U.S. waters. However, a recent court decision revealed a loophole in the Act, and HR 5741 seeks to close this loophole and improve shark conservation and management.

[Your comment here]

The Shark Conservation Act of 2008 would require all sharks to be landed with their fins. In addition, it allows the U.S. to take actions against countries that do not have shark finning bans like the United States.

view more

Sincerely,
[Your name here]

We signed the “Sharks Cut and Left to Die - Outlaw the Practice of Shark Finning Once and For All” petition!

# 200:

4:56 am PDT, Apr 23, Francis Van As, Netherlands

# 199:

4:49 am PDT, Apr 23, Name not displayed, California

# 198:

4:45 am PDT, Apr 23, Thomas Pirovano, Switzerland
Yes, of course.

# 197:

4:38 am PDT, Apr 23, Lara Budic, Croatia

# 196:

4:34 am PDT, Apr 23, Katharine White, United Kingdom

# 195:

4:26 am PDT, Apr 23, Mike Rabasco, Minnesota

# 194:

4:19 am PDT, Apr 23, Pam Chur-Hansen, Australia

# 193:

4:02 am PDT, Apr 23, Maria jose Duran, Spain

# 191:

3:46 am PDT, Apr 23, Dora Kassis, Greece

# 190:

3:36 am PDT, Apr 23, Matthew Fox, Missouri

# 189:

3:26 am PDT, Apr 23, A. Braswell, Florida

# 188:

3:09 am PDT, Apr 23, Sarolta Nagy, Serbia And Montenegro

# 187:

3:01 am PDT, Apr 23, Janelle Tillman, Kansas

# 186:

2:34 am PDT, Apr 23, Imogen Richmond, United Kingdom

# 185:

2:27 am PDT, Apr 23, Andrea Bedocs, Spain

# 184:

1:36 am PDT, Apr 23, Anna Hickl, Germany

# 183:

1:25 am PDT, Apr 23, Emmy Undem, Austria

# 182:

12:32 am PDT, Apr 23, Marco D. Biemann, Germany

# 181:

11:51 pm PDT, Apr 22, Marilyn Bartlett, New York

# 180:

11:28 pm PDT, Apr 22, Mandy Blue, Texas

# 179:

11:20 pm PDT, Apr 22, Brenda Larson, Georgia

# 178:

11:18 pm PDT, Apr 22, Sharon Wyant, Nevada

# 177:

11:07 pm PDT, Apr 22, Jeanine Vella, New Jersey

# 176:

10:54 pm PDT, Apr 22, Andra Raiven, Canada
Those loopholes...people need to wake up and realize the world isn't all about them.

# 175:

10:29 pm PDT, Apr 22, Samantha Vest, Virginia

# 174:

10:04 pm PDT, Apr 22, Stephanie Fourqurean, Texas

# 173:

9:58 pm PDT, Apr 22, Joyce Jacobson, Pennsylvania
What's next? Nothing is safe anymore.

# 172:

9:45 pm PDT, Apr 22, Christopher Martinez, Arizona

# 171:

9:35 pm PDT, Apr 22, Cyril Ng, Singapore

# 170:

8:54 pm PDT, Apr 22, Name not displayed, Australia

# 169:

8:49 pm PDT, Apr 22, Name not displayed, California

# 168:

8:41 pm PDT, Apr 22, Dinda Evans, California

# 167:

8:29 pm PDT, Apr 22, Mia Foley, Arizona

# 166:

8:13 pm PDT, Apr 22, Kat Ferrara, New Jersey
This is is cruel and inhumane.

# 165:

8:10 pm PDT, Apr 22, Pam Porter, Oklahoma
.. a life is a life!

# 164:

8:07 pm PDT, Apr 22, Patricia Hisey, Illinois

# 163:

8:05 pm PDT, Apr 22, Sona Pradhan, India
SHARKS are a an important part of aqutic habitats.SO THEY SHOULD BE SAVED

# 162:

8:02 pm PDT, Apr 22, Annette Davis, New York

# 161:

7:58 pm PDT, Apr 22, Dawn Tucker, Maryland

# 160:

7:54 pm PDT, Apr 22, Bill McGlone, Connecticut

# 159:

7:51 pm PDT, Apr 22, Nicholas Novotny, Ohio

# 158:

7:50 pm PDT, Apr 22, Sarah Lov, Canada

# 157:

7:49 pm PDT, Apr 22, Cheryl Sobie, Canada

# 156:

7:48 pm PDT, Apr 22, Sumer Saulnier, Michigan

# 155:

7:47 pm PDT, Apr 22, Debbie Low, Florida

# 154:

7:39 pm PDT, Apr 22, Percy Harbour, New York

# 153:

7:37 pm PDT, Apr 22, Pao Pallares, Colombia

# 152:

7:06 pm PDT, Apr 22, Yvonne Schindler, Florida
I love sharks!

# 151:

7:06 pm PDT, Apr 22, Darshan Caraballo, Florida

View Signatures:
|<
<
11,459
11,400
11,350
...
300
250
200
150
100
50
>
>|