Tell Congress to Pass S. 850, The Shark Conservation Act of 2009

FROM Ocean Conservancy

Tell Congress this long-delayed bill must be passed NOW. Support S. 850, The Shark Conservation Act to end shark finning and move toward the end of overfishing.

CONTACT

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INFORMATION / TALKING POINTS

A growing number of shark populations are in peril from overfishing and finning — and now in the Gulf of Mexico, the BP oil disaster is poisoning their home.

Join Ocean Conservancy in calling for final passage of the Shark Conservation Act to end shark finning and ensure the US is a leader in shark conservation and a model for other countries to follow.

The oil disaster in the Gulf is a threat to all species, from small shrimp to the massive whale shark. Sharks grow slowly, mature late, and produce few young, making them especially vulnerable to threats like overfishing and finning — the wasteful practice of slicing off their valuable fins for soup and tossing the body overboard to die. Now BP’s oil spill is adding another threat to these imperiled creatures’ survival and they need your help.

By improving enforcement and closing loopholes in the Shark Finning Prohibition Act of 2000, this bill will help put an end to overfishing and the wasteful practice of "finning" — and ensure the US is a leader in shark conservation.

We urge the Senate to pass this important bill and thereby ensure that US shark conservation is the world's best and a model for other countries.

Thank you for everything you do for animals!