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[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 285 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 285

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United 
  States should ban and prevent the import of shark fins from sharks 
    caught through the practice of finning, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 28, 2013

   Mr. Buchanan (for himself, Mr. Huffman, Mr. Farr, Mr. Grimm, Mrs. 
 Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Hastings of Florida, 
 Mr. Crenshaw, Mr. Young of Florida, Mr. Murphy of Florida, Ms. Wilson 
   of Florida, Mr. Moran, Ms. McCollum, Ms. Titus, Mr. DeFazio, Mr. 
   Cicilline, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Linda T. Sanchez of California, Mr. 
 Lowenthal, Mr. Cardenas, Ms. Speier, Ms. Brownley of California, Ms. 
 Lofgren, Mr. George Miller of California, Ms. Bordallo, and Ms. Meng) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
  on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and 
 Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
   each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United 
  States should ban and prevent the import of shark fins from sharks 
    caught through the practice of finning, and for other purposes.

Whereas sharks are a vital part of a healthy ocean ecosystem;
Whereas as top of the food chain predators, sharks help maintain the balance of 
        marine life in the oceans;
Whereas if shark populations continue to decline at the current rates, there 
        will be significant and unpredictable consequences for fish populations, 
        ocean habitats, and the overall health of the ocean;
Whereas sharks are slow-growing, mature later in life, and produce few young, 
        and thus are highly susceptible to overfishing that is severely 
        depleting global shark populations;
Whereas approximately 26,000,000 to 73,000,000 sharks are killed globally each 
        year, and this is contributing to the decline of shark populations 
        around the world and impacting the health of the ocean;
Whereas shark finning, in which sharks are captured, their fins cut off, and 
        their bodies thrown back into the sea, is a wasteful practice that is 
        contributing to the devastation of shark populations worldwide;
Whereas United States fishermen are held to a higher standard and are not 
        operating on a level playing field with foreign, unregulated shark 
        fisheries that are still engaging in shark finning;
Whereas many fisheries around the world are catching sharks without limits;
Whereas the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of 
        Threatened Species estimates that over 30 percent of pelagic (open 
        ocean) sharks are threatened with extinction; and
Whereas several States and United States territories have recognized the global 
        decline of shark populations and have taken actions to improve 
        conservation of sharks, including restrictions on the sale of and trade 
        in shark fins: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That--
            (1) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that 
        the United States should ban and prevent the importation of 
        shark fins from sharks caught through the practice of finning; 
        and
            (2) the House of Representatives--
                    (A) recognizes the threat shark finning poses to 
                sharks; and
                    (B) condemns the practice worldwide.
                                 <all>
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