Stop NOAA from stopping state laws banning shark fin
Started by Drew ·
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Stop NOAA from stopping state laws banning shark fin
7 posts
(Text coped from Robert Delfs) A perverse proposed NOAA rule could gut state laws against importing, possessing, or selling shark fins, dealing a huge blow to global efforts to protect endangered and threatened shark species. It must not stand.
The public comment period on this rule has been extended to 7 July. It is important for people to speak out about this outrageous attempt to use the Shark Conservation Act to nullify state laws that protect sharks.
Go to <www.regulations.gov> and wait for the site to load. Enter NOAA-NMFS-2012-0092 in the keyword search for rules, comments, etc. Locate "Implementation of the Shark Conservation Act of 2010; Correction" and click on the “Submit a Comment Now” icon on the right side of that box. Now just fill in the form, follow the on-line instructions, and submit your comment. (You can pre-write your comment, save it in a text file and upload it now.)
Alternatively, you can fax your comment to NOAA at 301-713-1193 Attn: Erin Wilkinson. Be sure to mention "Implementation of the Shark Conservation Act of 2010" and the ID NOAA-NMFS-2012-0092.
Due to significant push back against the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) & the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the public comment period on the proposed implementation ruling titled "Relationship of Regulations With Current State Rules" of the Shark Conservation Act has been granted a final extension until July 31st.
A cherry-picked, narrow interpretation of the Magnuson-Stevens Act's "conservation and management" provisions is being applied in NMFS-NOAA's implementation rule, avoiding broader conservation considerations for sharks. Although NOAA is a scientific agency, a deliberate policy choice -- expanding U.S. participation in the shark fin trade while killing all existing and future state & territorial fin bans -- is being promoted with the guiding hand of commercial interests despite the continuing decimation of many shark species.
The importance of getting involved to counter this attempt to erase all the hard-fought gains achieved in U.S. shark conservation -- in American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Hawaii, California, Washington, Oregon, Illinois, Maryland, Delaware, and New York (once signed) -- cannot be overstated.
