SPRINGFIELD – Oceana, the largest international advocacy group working solely to protect the world’s oceans, applauded Illinois Governor Patrick Quinn yesterday for signing into law a ban on the sale, trade, distribution and possession of shark fins throughout the state. Illinois is the first non-Pacific state to join California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii in the … Read more
NEW YORK – Oceana, the largest international advocacy group working solely to protect the world’s oceans, was disappointed in the New York Senate’s failure to pass a bill late yesterday that would have banned the sale, trade, distribution and possession of shark fins throughout the state. Although the Senate failed to take action, Oceana applauded … Read more
NEW YORK – Today, the New York Senate Environmental Conservation Committee voted in favor of a bill (S.6431) that would ban the trade, sale, possession and distribution of shark fins throughout the state. If the bill is signed into law, New York would become the first East Coast state to join California, Oregon, Washington … Read more
Today, the Maryland House of Delegates held a hearing on a newly introduced bill (HR 393) that would ban the sale, trade, distribution and possession of shark fins throughout the state. The bill, which was introduced by Delegate Eric Luedtke (D-District 14) on February 2, 2012, is similar to pending legislation in Illinois and New … Read more
New York State Assembly Members Alan Maisel (D-Brooklyn), Grace Meng (D-Flushing) and Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan) introduced new legislation (A.7707a/S.6431) today that would ban the possession, sale, trade and distribution of shark fins throughout the state. If enacted, New York would join Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, California, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands in the national movement … Read more
Yesterday, Delegate Eric Luedtke (D-District 14) and Senator Brian Frosh (D-District 16) introduced bills (HB 393/ SB 465) in Maryland that, if enacted, would ban the sale, trade, distribution and possession of shark fins throughout the state. In recent months, similar bills were introduced in Florida, Illinois and Virginia. Oceana, the largest international advocacy group … Read more
Last week, Delegate Mark Sickles (D-Franconia) introduced a bill (HB 1159) before the Virginia General Assembly that would ban shark fin trade throughout the state. If enacted, Virginia would become the first East Coast state to outlaw the sale, trade, possession or distribution of shark fins. Oceana, the largest international advocacy group working solely to … Read more
Oceana, the largest international advocacy group working solely to protect the world’s oceans, applauded the 22nd Regular Meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) today for establishing new protections for silky sharks, the shark species most vulnerable to overfishing by Atlantic longline fisheries. The new measure requires that all silky … Read more
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved a groundbreaking shark conservation rule today that prohibits the recreational and commercial harvest, possession and landing of tiger and hammerhead sharks in state waters (up to 3 miles off the Atlantic coast and up to 9 miles off the Gulf coast). Oceana, the largest international advocacy group … Read more
Many shark species migrate great distances across our oceans, crossing various jurisdictional boundaries along the way. These sharks, like tunas and swordfish, call large swaths of the oceans home and their populations cannot be claimed or effectively managed by any one country. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the primary … Read more
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We have already protected nearly 4 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea life - but there is still more to be done.