Sharks fin soup is on the way out in America’s Golden State. Today the California State Senate voted 25-9 to pass a bill that will ban the sale, trade, and possession of shark fins. In a few days it’ll be signed by the governor and effectively put an end to one of the largest, legal shark fin markets outside Asia.
The big question on my mind is what next?
As David Shiffman at Southern Fried Science rightly points out, banning shark fins isn’t the be all and end all. Don’t get us wrong, this a substantial win for ocean conservation, but there are still heaps of things we need to do, including setting up more marine protected areas, making plans for sustainable fishing practices, protecting animals during spawning seasons… the list goes on and on.
But just for a moment let’s focus on the positives. The campaign got a huge boost from the star-studded line up of movie and sport stars. And it makes me I wonder which ocean issue we should set Leonardo diCaprio, Ed Norton, Ben Stiller, and everyone else onto now? They’ve proved themselves to be an considerable force for ocean good and we mustn’t them slip away, back to their day jobs.
So, let Seamonster know your suggestions on how the ban-the-shark celebrities should be redeployed and we’ll make sure to pass them on.
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