Toronto Star: Shark fins off the menu in California — is Toronto next?

[marmar]

Alyshah Hasham
Staff Reporter


The fate of Toronto’s proposed ban on selling or consuming shark fins will be decided in committee on Thursday, but a similar ban is now law in California — one of the largest consumers of shark fins in North America.

The controversial bill, signed last week by Gov. Jerry Brown, has been called discriminatory to Asian culture and cuisine by opponents because the bill focuses on the shark fin rather than the whole shark.

However, supporters of the bill — including Chinese basketball star Yao Ming and actor-activist Leonardo DiCaprio — say the ban is needed to protect dangerously declining shark populations. Conservation groups estimate more than 73 million sharks are killed for their fins a year.

It’s hoped the ban will decrease the practice of “finning” — cutting off just the fins and leaving the shark to bleed to death in the water. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1067875--shark-fins-off-the-menu-in-california-is-toronto-next?bn=1

[Dorian Gray]

1. The act of finning

is horrible. I never understood why they couldn't catch the entire fish and use it. Shark meat is edible.

[Marrah_G]

2. Such a horrible useless practice