Good News for Sharks in Chile

This week Chile joined the ranks of the many nations that have banned the practice of shark finning. Shark finning is a brutal process. Sharks’ fins are sliced off and the sharks are then thrown back overboard where they bleed to death, are eaten by other animals or drown. Sharks now caught in Chilean waters will be required to be landed with fins naturally attached.

Millions of sharks are killed annually for their fins, which are often used in shark fin soup. Other nations that have banned the practice of shark finning include Palau, the Maldives, Honduras, the Bahamas, India, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Mexico, Namibia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Oman, Panama, Portugal, Romania, Samoa, Scotland, Seychelles, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan and the Untied States, according to Oceana.

Despite this great news, we still need your help to pass AB 376, the bill to ban the sale of shark fin products here in California.

More information (USA Today article).

Photo: Stormydog via Flickr