Congress Protects Sharks Against 'Finning'

Measure bans hunt to satisfy Asia's taste for soup
Posted Dec 21, 2010 6:43 PM CST
Congress Protects Sharks Against 'Finning'
In this photo taken Thursday, Aug. 12, 2010, Joe Chan, chief chef of Sun Tung Lok Chinese Cuisine, prepares shark fin to be cooked at the kitchen of the restaurant in Hong Kong.   (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Both the House and Senate have approved new protections for sharks, effectively outlawing the practice of "finning"—in which the shark is killed for its fin and the rest of the body discarded, reports the Washington Post. Thanks to big demand for shark fin soup in Asia, the practice has been thriving, especially off the US West Coast because of loopholes in previous legislation. It's fueled "massive population declines," said bill author John Kerry.
(More Senate stories.)

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