Rep. Kristin Jacobs (D-Coconut Creek) is pushing a proposal that would ban Floridians from selling shark fins. It’s part of an effort to crack down on shark finning. The practice involves chopping fins off sharks and throwing them back into the ocean.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says sharks are a top predator and help balance the ocean’s ecosystem. But despite both federal and state efforts to stop shark finning, it’s still happening.
“It’s heartbreaking to see them when they have a rusty hook in their mouth," Fred Garth says. He's a publisher of the fishing magazine, Guy Harvey. "But it’s even more heartbreaking to see them when they’ve got their fins chopped off and they’re dying on the reef. It’s a terrible, terrible sight.”
Nineteen years ago the United States made shark finning illegal in U.S. waters, but selling shark fins wasn’t. In 2017, the state made it illegal to have detached shark fins in Florida waters. However, that didn’t stop the trade on land. Now, Jacobs is pushing a proposal to do just that.
“It makes no sense to say that we’re banning the practice, then we’re going to let you sell them anyway," Jacobs says.
Her plan bans the import, export, and sale of shark fins regardless of how they were obtained. A similar proposal failed in the last legislative session. This year’s bill passed its first committee hearing Wednesday and has two more to go. It hasn’t been heard yet in the Senate.
