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Federal Court Upholds California’s Shark-Fin Ban

U.S. District Court Rejects Appeal by Chinese-American Groups to Halt the California Ban on Selling or Possessing Shark Fins
U.S. Court Upholds Shark-Fin Ban in California

U.S. Court Upholds Shark-Fin Ban in California

A U.S. District Court in San Francisco has rejected an appeal by Chinese-American groups to throw out the California state ban on selling or possessing shark fins, thus helping conserve key ocean predators such as mako sharks. Noaa Fisheries

A federal court in San Franciso has rejected two Chinese-American groups’ request to halt California’s ban on the selling and possession of shark fins, according to a report by Associated Press published in the Eureka Times-Standard.

U.S. District Court Judge Phyllis Hamilton on Wednesday, January 2, denied the request, rejecting Chinese-American groups’ argument that the ban, which took effect January 1, 2012, violated their civil rights by targeting a food item used in traditional weddings and festivals, the report states.

The report says that California’s shark-fin soup market was once the largest outside of Asia. Critics of shark finning estimate that 73 million sharks are killed annually for their fins, removing a key predator from the marine food chain. Hawaii, Washington, Oregon and Guam already have bans in place, and the practice is restricted in U.S. waters.

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Plaintiffs’ attorney Joe Breall said he would not appeal Hamilton’s ruling, but would move forward to trial, according to AP.

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