Protect Sharks from Finning
- by: Ocean Conservancy
- recipient: US Trade Representative Michael Froman
Sharks are amazing creatures: majestic predators that inspire awe and respect. But millions of sharks are brutally killed through the practice of "shark finning" every year.
This practice involves chopping off the shark's fins and throwing the shark back into the sea, left to die. Many species of sharks in the Pacific Rim, such as the Oceanic Whitetip, are declining rapidly in part because of this process.
United States Trade Representative Michael Froman is deciding if the United States will protect sharks from this brutal practice. He’s working on the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) — a pact that would expand trade of natural resources between Pacific Rim nations and could have devastating impacts on sharks, trees, and other wildlife. We understand the United States is pushing a strong conservation proposal in the TPP that includes obligations to conserve shark populations and actions to deter shark-finning. Other countries in the pact are opposing strong and binding environmental provisions.
Tell the United States Trade Representative: Keep Shark Fins off the Chopping Block!
This practice involves chopping off the shark's fins and throwing the shark back into the sea, left to die. Many species of sharks in the Pacific Rim, such as the Oceanic Whitetip, are declining rapidly in part because of this process.
United States Trade Representative Michael Froman is deciding if the United States will protect sharks from this brutal practice. He’s working on the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) — a pact that would expand trade of natural resources between Pacific Rim nations and could have devastating impacts on sharks, trees, and other wildlife. We understand the United States is pushing a strong conservation proposal in the TPP that includes obligations to conserve shark populations and actions to deter shark-finning. Other countries in the pact are opposing strong and binding environmental provisions.
Tell the United States Trade Representative: Keep Shark Fins off the Chopping Block!
Dear US Trade Representative Michael Froman,
I am writing to express my deep concern about the environmental impacts of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) on natural resources, such as on trees and sharks. I urge you to advance strong and enforceable rules in the pact that address illegal logging and trade, trade in illegally taken wildlife, and sustainable fisheries management. More specifically, I urge you to include a ban on shark finning and the shark fin trade in the TPP.
The environment and biodiversity of the Pacific Rim are already threatened by illegal and unsustainable commercial exploitation. Nowhere is this problem more obvious than in the violent process of shark-finning, whereby a shark's fin is cut off, often so that the fin can be used in soup, and the rest of the shark is thrown back in the sea to bleed to death. Many species of sharks in the Pacific Rim, such as the Oceanic Whitetip, are declining precipitously in part because of this process.
We understand that the United States is pushing a strong conservation proposal in the TPP that includes obligations to conserve shark populations and actions to deter shark finning. We also understand that other TPP countries oppose binding rules that would prohibit shark finning or other environmentally destructive practices such as trade in illegally harvested timber or illegally taken wildlife parts.
We urge you to avoid any efforts to weaken the environmental chapter of this trade pact. Any trade pact must ensure that countries uphold domestic and international environmental commitments and obligate countries to tackle key conservation challenges of the region, including a ban on shark finning and the shark fin trade.
[Your comment will go here]
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Sign PetitionSign PetitionI am writing to express my deep concern about the environmental impacts of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) on natural resources, such as on trees and sharks. I urge you to advance strong and enforceable rules in the pact that address illegal logging and trade, trade in illegally taken wildlife, and sustainable fisheries management. More specifically, I urge you to include a ban on shark finning and the shark fin trade in the TPP.
The environment and biodiversity of the Pacific Rim are already threatened by illegal and unsustainable commercial exploitation. Nowhere is this problem more obvious than in the violent process of shark-finning, whereby a shark's fin is cut off, often so that the fin can be used in soup, and the rest of the shark is thrown back in the sea to bleed to death. Many species of sharks in the Pacific Rim, such as the Oceanic Whitetip, are declining precipitously in part because of this process.
We understand that the United States is pushing a strong conservation proposal in the TPP that includes obligations to conserve shark populations and actions to deter shark finning. We also understand that other TPP countries oppose binding rules that would prohibit shark finning or other environmentally destructive practices such as trade in illegally harvested timber or illegally taken wildlife parts.
We urge you to avoid any efforts to weaken the environmental chapter of this trade pact. Any trade pact must ensure that countries uphold domestic and international environmental commitments and obligate countries to tackle key conservation challenges of the region, including a ban on shark finning and the shark fin trade.
[Your comment will go here]
Sincerely,
[Your name]
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