page_title: Shark Finning Prohibition Act
section_title: Provisions
hierarchical_section_title: Shark Finning Prohibition Act / Provisions
caption_attribution_description: English: Bales of shark fins confiscated from the King Diamond II upon arrival in San Diego, CA, USA. A federal court later ruled that they were unlawfully seized and were to be returned to the ship's owners
context_page_description: The Shark Finning Prohibition Act was signed into law by Bill Clinton on December 21, 2000. It had forbidden finning by any vessels in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, and possession of fins by any U.S.-flagged fishing vessels on international waters. It also prohibited any fishing vessel from landing at a U.S. port with shark fins whose weight exceeds 5% of the total weight of shark carcasses landed or on board. These provisions left loopholes that would successfully be exploited in its first court test.
context_section_description: The Act made it illegal to:
  remove any of the fins of a shark (including the tail) and discard the carcass of the shark at sea;
  have custody, control, or possession of any such fin aboard a fishing vessel without the corresponding carcass; or
  land any such fin without the corresponding carcass.
  By way of definition, the Act created a "rebuttable presumption that any shark fins landed from a fishing vessel or found on board a fishing vessel were taken, held, or landed in violation ... if the total weight of shark fins landed or found on board exceeds 5 percent of the total weight of shark carcasses landed or found on board."
caption: Shark fins confiscated from the King Diamond II
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