California Signs Shark Fin Ban Into Law
You can stop holding your breath- on Friday, Gov. Jerry Brown signed the California shark fin ban into law over a month after it was ready for his signature.
One possible reason for Brown’s hesitance was the suggestion by chinese legislators that the bill would promote Asian discrimination in the state. Assemblyman Paul Fong (D-Cupertino) proposed the bill to help end the practice of shark finning that wipes out over 75 million animals each year. Despite a voiced opposition from the Asian-American community, Gov. Brown agreed with Fong and his supporters.
"The practice of cutting the fins off of living sharks and dumping them back in the ocean is not only cruel, but it harms the health of our oceans," Brown said in a statement after signing the bill, AB 376.
Signing the bill “in the interest of future generations,” in the words of Brown, was not enough for State Senator Yee, who called the bill “an unfair attack on Asian culture and cuisine.”
Stores will be allowed to sell the remainder of their shark fin stocks until July 1st, 2013.
