September 30, 2016
Mission Blue is proud to stand with 80 other NGO’s in support of the Shark Fin Trade Elimination Act. On September 22, 2016, the letter below was sent to Congress urging support and passage of this important Act.
Dear Senator/Representative:
We, the undersigned organizations, representing over one million Americans, submit this letter urging Congress to support and
pass the Shark Fin Trade Elimination Act (SFTEA) of 2016 (S. 3095/H.R. 5584). Sharks have been swimming in our oceans since before dinosaurs walked the earth. For over 400 million years, they have played a vital role in maintaining healthy oceans, but today, sharks are disappearing as a result of bycatch and overfishing, largely fueled by the shark fin trade. The demand for shark fins has led to the practice of finning – the act of cutting the fins off a shark and discarding its body at sea to drown, bleed to death, or be eaten alive by other fish. Fins from as many as 73 million sharks end up in the global shark fin trade every year, and more than 70 percent of the most popular species that are found in the Hong Kong trade market face a high or very high threat of extinction.
In 2010, Congress passed the Shark Conservation Act (SCA), making it illegal to fin a shark at sea, transfer any fin from one vessel to another vessel, or land a shark that does not have its fins attached to its body. However, the United States continues to participate in the global shark fin market. In fact, over 85 percent of the fins imported into the United States since 2010 came from countries that are legally allowed to fin sharks. It is impossible to know if a fin in the United States is from a finned shark or a shark that was sustainably caught.
Just as rhino and elephant populations have declined due to the demand for their horns and tusks, shark populations have 
declined due to the demand for their fins. The United States has banned the trade of rhino horns and ivory but continues to allow the buying and selling of shark fins.
Currently, there are 11 states and three territories that have passed bills banning the trade of shark fins: Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, California, Illinois, Maryland, Delaware, New York, Massachusetts, Texas, Rhode Island, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa. A number of companies have also banned the selling and shipment of shark fin products, including GrubHub, Amazon, Disney, UPS, American Airlines and Hilton Worldwide.
It is time for the U. S. Congress to follow the lead of these states and companies by supporting the Shark Fin Trade Elimination Act. Introduced by Senators Booker (NJ) and Capito (WV), and Representatives Sablan (MP) and Royce (CA), the SFTEA would create a nationwide prohibition on the trade of shark fins that would protect sharks, remove the United States from the fin trade, and empower the United States to encourage other countries to do the same.
Sincerely,
The undersigned organizations
Alaska Wildlife Alliance
Altamaha Riverkeeper
American Cetacean Society
American Littoral Society
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Animal Welfare Institute
Aquarium of the Bay
Assateague Coastal Trust
Assateague Coastkeeper
Blue Frontier Campaign
Blue Ocean Film Festival & Conservation Summit
Born Free USA
Center for a Sustainable Coast
Center for Aquatic Sciences and Adventure Aquarium
Center for Oceanic Awareness, Research, and Education
Coastside Fishing Club
Conservation Council for Hawaii
Crystal Coast Water Keeper
Defenders of Wildlife
Delaware Votes for Animals
Dolphin Research Center
Earth Justice
Endangered Species Coalition
Environment America
Environment Florida
Environment Georgia
Environment New Jersey
Environment North Carolina
Environment Virginia
Environmental Advocates of New York
Environmental Investigation Agency
EPIC
Fin Free
Fin Free Florida
Fin Free Massachusetts
Food & Water Watch
Food Empowerment Project
For the Fishes
Friends of the Earth
Greenpeace
Lobby for Animals
Marine Conservation Science Institute
Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Matanzas Riverkeeper
MERR Institute
Moss Landing Marine Labs
National Aquarium
Natural Resources Defense Council
Northcoast Environmental Center
Oceana
Ocean Champions
Ocean Conservation Research
Oceanic Preservation Society
One More Generation
Outer Banks Center for Dolphin Research
Sandy Hook Sea Life Foundation
Sea Save Foundation
SC Coastal Conservation League
Sea Shepherd
Shark Angels
Shark Protect
Shark Research Institute
Shark Stewards
Sierra Club
Sierra Club- Delaware
South Carolina Wildlife Federation
Sylvia Earle Alliance / Mission Blue
The Bay Institute
The Georgia Conservancy
Turtle Island Restoration Network
United Conservationists
Virginia Eastern Shorekeeper
Water Keeper Alliance
Western Nebraska Resources Council
WildAid
Wildcoast
WildEarth Guardians
World Animal Protection
World Ocean Observatory