House Panels Approves Ban on Shark Finning

House Panels Approves Ban on Shark Finning:

June 11, 2008 – 1:37 p.m

A bill intended to crack down on the harvest of sharks for their fins was approved by voice vote Wednesday by the House Natural Resources Committee. Lawmakers from ocean states praised the bill as a way to ensure responsible fishing practices.

“There’s a hell of a lot of two-legged sharks around that are a lot more dangerous than the ones with fins in the ocean,” said Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii.

Committee Chairman Nick J. Rahall II , D-W.Va., could not resist joking that sharks were not too different from members of Congress. “The chair will note this is not a member self-preservation act,” he said.

The measure would strengthen enforcement of an existing federal prohibition on removing the fins of a shark and discarding the carcass, which was first established in the Shark Finning Prohibition Act of 2000.