Ban the Sale, Trade and Possession of Shark Fins in Texas
Governor Abbott and the Texas State Legislature
Protect Gulf and Oceanic Sharks by Banning the Sale, Trade and Possession of Shark Fin in Texas.
Whereas:
-The practice of shark finning, which is the inhumane practice of removing the fins and discarding the remainder of the shark back into the sea, is having a devastating effect on shark species around the world.
- Shark finning results in tens of millions of sharks a year being killed for their fins alone and over one-third of all oceanic shark species are threatened with extinction as a result of shark finning.
- Gulf sharks are being poached for their fins and these fins are entering the international market, leading to a collapse of shark populations.
- Apex predators such as sharks play a critical role in maintaining healthy, balanced ecosystems; something that is necessary for the long term survival of our own species.
- Shark fins have no significant nutritional value and are considered unhealthy for human consumption due to the accumulation of high levels of mercury and other toxins in fins and flesh.
- 99% of Oceanic Whitetip Sharks and 90% of Silky Sharks are gone from the Gulf of Mexico and sharks are being poached from State waters and in the Gulf to supply the shark fin trade.
- Measures must be taken to stop the global practice of shark finning and to ensure the responsible conservation and management of sharks.
-The trade of shark fin in Texas has increased significantly making this state complicit in the decline of Gulf and the Ocean's sharks by contributing to shark fins and overfishing sharks.
Therefore, I the undersigned call upon the Governor and Legislature of the State of Texas to ban the possession, sale and consumption of shark fins in the State of Texas.
Petition by
Sponsored by
To:
Governor Abbott and the Texas State Legislature
From:
[Your Name]
Tens of millions of sharks are slaughtered a year for their fins alone in the practice of shark finning. This cruel and wasteful practice is supplying an unsustainable trade of fins from illegally killed domestic sharks and unregulated shark fisheries. Over one-third of all oceanic shark species are threatened with extinction as a result of shark finning and overfishing sharks. 99% of Oceanic Whitetip Sharks and 90% of Silky Sharks are gone from the Gulf of Mexico and sharks are being poached from State waters and in the Gulf to supply the shark fin trade.
The trade of shark fin in Texas has increased significantly since 2012, making this state complicit in the decline of Gulf and the Ocean's sharks by contributing to the international shark fin trade and overfishing Gulf sharks.
The federal government banned shark finning in U.S. waters in 2000, but fins from sharks caught illegally or unsustainably by other nations can still be imported into the U.S. and re-exported in all but nine states.
Apex predators such as sharks play a critical role in maintaining healthy, balanced ecosystems; something that is necessary for the long term survival of our own species.
I call upon the Governor and Legislature of the State of Texas to protect Texas and the ocean's sharks and ban the possession, sale and consumption of shark fins in the State of Texas by supporting HB 1579 (Lucio).