Once again, sharks thank YOU

OK, sharks can't actually thank you. But we can. Thank YOU for standing up for sharks!

A law authored by Assemblymembers Paul Fong and Jared Huffman and signed by Governor Jerry Brown in 2011 banned the possession and sale of shark fins in California. The new law just took effect this month. But almost immediately, the law was threatened by a proposed federal rule change that could pre-empt California's and other state's laws on this issue.

Since we asked you to submit a public comment on this issue, there's been an amazing outpouring of support from Californians who care deeply about protecting sharks and the health of our oceans. The number of comments more than doubled within days of our request to you to stand up for sharks! We know that's in large part thanks to CLCV supporters like you. Just as sharks can't thank you for taking action, they can't stop humans from harvesting their fins. That's up to us.

We have another update for you: The public comment period has now been extended to July 31, so please share this link with your social networks: http://ecovote.org/Sharks

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's fisheries management division has proposed a rule that says state and territory shark fin laws are pre-empted if they are found to be inconsistent with federal fishery management plans or regulations. In a nutshell: this proposal once again opens the door to shark finning.

It goes without saying that the practice of cutting the fins off of living sharks and then throwing them back in the ocean to die is cruel. But it also harms our fragile ocean ecology. The appetite for shark fins has been a major contributor to the near-collapse of shark populations worldwide, including here in California. Each year tens of millions of sharks are killed for use in shark fin soup.

Unfortunately, California once represented a significant market for shark fins in the United States, with San Diego and Los Angeles as two of the top U.S. entry points for shark fin imports. That makes it even more important for Californians to weigh in with a public comment now, right here: http://ecovote.org/Sharks

Thank you again for taking action to protect sharks, our fragile ecosystems and a healthy environment for future generations.