A bill that would prohibit the shark fin trade nationwide is poised to pass in Congress with deep bipartisan support. Shark fin soup, considered a delicacy in Chinese cuisine, can bring in $100 or more for a bowl. The fins themselves can sell for as much as $500 a pound.
“In 2010, Hawaii was the first state to ban the sale of shark fins, which are frequently harvested by capturing sharks, slashing off their fins, then throwing them still alive back into the sea, where they suffocate, bleed to death, sink to the ocean floor, or get eaten by other predators,” explains Civil Beat.
Around the world, roughly 73 million sharks are killed each year in the fin trade, according to a 2016 report by Oceana. However, there is some evidence that the popularity of shark fin soup has declined due to greater consumer awareness.
The proposed U.S. legislation would punish anyone participating in the shark fin trade with a $100,000 fine.