US shark fishermen say they will fight plan to ban finning industry entirely

American fishermen are digging in for a fight against a proposal to shut down the vestiges of the US harvest of shark fins, prized in Asia.

The traditional “finning” of sharks — in which they are pulled out of the water, have their fins sliced off and are discarded into the sea, often still alive but unable to swim — is already illegal in the US, but fishermen are still allowed to hunt sharks and have their fins removed during processing on land.

A bill backed by Senator Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, and others promises to ban the sale and possession of shark fins to ensure US fishermen and seafood dealers no longer participate in the global fin trade. Supporters say the bill would close loopholes left open by measures passed in 2000 and 2010 to protect sharks.

“America can become a global leader by shutting down the domestic market for shark fins,” Booker said.

Fins from as many as 70 million sharks end up in the worldwide fin trade every year, and completely removing the US from the industry would tell the world that it needs to stop, Booker said.

Lora Snyder, campaign director for the conservation group Oceana, has compared shark fins to the trade of elephant ivory and rhino horn. She said the legislation to ban the trade is a step toward saving sharks.