How is the Situation in the U.S.?

As there was a growing concern for the decreasing shark population in recent years, the United States passed the Shark Finning Prohibition Act in 2000 prohibiting the act of shark finning all across the country. However, as people found loopholes, the Shark Conservation Act was passed in 2011 stating that all sharks brought onto land must have their fins naturally attached to the body. To further restrict shark finning, a rule to the Shark Conservation Act was proposed in 2013 listing a series of prohibited actions related to shark finning such as possessing shark fins on vessels and selling, buying, or trading shark fins. To further strengthen the country’s position on the issue, the JAWS (Justice Attributed to Wounded Sharks) Act was introduced in 2014. The act prohibits the United States to offer help to any foreign countries that do not prohibit shark finning in their waters as well as the selling, trading, and consuming of shark fins on land. As previous laws only affected the country internally, the appearance of the JAWS Act made it clear to other countries the United States’ stance on shark finning. The issue is gaining more attention across the country with new laws being introduced and passed.