IIB 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 737 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
NOVEMBER 21, 2019 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation 
AN ACT 
To prohibit the sale of shark fins, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:17 Nov 21, 2019
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H737.RFS
H737
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
HR 737 RFS
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Shark Fin Sales Elimi-
nation Act of 2019’’. 
SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON SALE OF SHARK FINS. 
(a) PROHIBITION.—Except as provided in sections 3 
and 4, no person shall possess, offer for sale, sell, or pur-
chase any shark fin or product containing any shark fin. 
(b) PENALTY.—For purposes of section 308(a) of the 
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Manage-
ment Act (16 U.S.C. 1858(a)), a violation of this section 
shall be treated as an act prohibited by section 307 of 
that Act. 
SEC. 3. EXEMPTION FOR TRADITIONAL FISHERIES, EDU-
CATION, AND SCIENCE. 
Section 2 shall not apply with respect to possession 
of a shark fin that was taken lawfully under a State, terri-
torial, or Federal license or permit to take or land sharks, 
if the shark fin is separated from the shark in a manner 
consistent with the license or permit and is— 
(1) destroyed or discarded upon separation; 
(2) used for noncommercial subsistence pur-
poses in accordance with State or territorial law; 
(3) used solely for display or research purposes 
by a museum, college, or university, or by any other 
person under a State or Federal permit to conduct 
noncommercial scientific research; or 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:17 Nov 21, 2019
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H737.RFS
H737
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
HR 737 RFS
(4) retained by the license or permit holder for 
a noncommercial purpose. 
SEC. 4. EXEMPTION FOR DOGFISH. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—It shall not be a violation of sec-
tion 2 for any person to possess, offer for sale, sell, or 
purchase any fresh or frozen raw fin or tail from any stock 
of the species Mustelus canis (smooth dogfish) or Squalus 
acanthias (spiny dogfish). 
(b) REPORT.—By not later than January 1, 2027, 
the Secretary of Commerce should review the exemption 
in subsection (a) and should prepare and submit to the 
Congress a report that includes a recommendation on 
whether the exemption should continue or be terminated. 
In preparing such report and making such recommenda-
tion, the Secretary should analyze factors including— 
(1) the economic viability of dogfish fisheries 
with and without the continuation of the exemption; 
(2) the impact to ocean ecosystems of con-
tinuing or terminating the exemption; 
(3) the impact on enforcement of the ban con-
tained in section 3 caused by the exemption; and 
(4) the impact of the exemption on shark con-
servation. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:17 Nov 21, 2019
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H737.RFS
H737
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
HR 737 RFS
SEC. 5. INCLUSION OF RAYS AND SKATES IN SEAFOOD 
TRACEABILITY PROGRAM. 
Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall revise section 
300.324 of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations, to in-
clude rays and skates in the species and species groups 
specified in subsection (a)(2) of such section. 
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) SHARK.—The term ‘‘shark’’ means any spe-
cies 
of 
the 
orders 
Pristiophoriformes, 
Squatiniformes, 
Squaliformes, 
Hexanchiformes, 
Lamniformes, Carchariniformes, Orectolobiformes, 
and Heterodontiformes. 
(2) SHARK FIN.—The term ‘‘shark fin’’ means 
the raw, dried, or otherwise processed detached fin, 
or the raw, dried, or otherwise processed detached 
tail, of a shark. 
SEC. 7. STATE AUTHORITY. 
Nothing in this Act affects any right of a State or 
territory of the United States to adopt or enforce any reg-
ulation or standard that is more stringent than a regula-
tion or standard in effect under this Act. 
SEC. 8. DETERMINATION OF BUDGET EFFECTS. 
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:17 Nov 21, 2019
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H737.RFS
H737
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
HR 737 RFS
shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 
titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 
Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 
by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, pro-
vided that such statement has been submitted prior to the 
vote on passage. 
Passed the House of Representatives November 20, 
2019. 
Attest: 
CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 
Clerk. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:17 Nov 21, 2019
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H737.RFS
H737
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS