U.S. Shark Conservation Act goes before Congress: Do your part

I often talk to shark conservationists about how they may not be part of the problem but they need to be part of the solution. Here is one of the ways you can do it: to get our elected representatives to support legislation that makes environmental sense. . .
Melanie Marks, president of Shark Trust Wines, sent me this reminder this morning:

U.S. Shark Conservation Act
The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to consider the Shark Conservation Act of 2008 on Tuesday, July 8. The bill aims to close loopholes in the national finning ban, prohibit the removal of shark fins at sea, and encourage international shark conservation. U.S. citizens wishing to support the bill should contact their Representatives as soon as possible. To find yours, go to www.house.gov and type in your zip code in upper left corner of page.

Thanks for the heads up, Melanie. Specifically, the bill HR 5741, is an amendment to two previous marine conservation bills that did not effectively address the issue of shark fishing and finning. The new bill would require sharks to be taken, if at all, with their fins intact. By doing so, this enables better enforcement of existing procedures and regulations and would impede fisherman from catching sharks solely for their fins, which bring a higher price on Asian markets than the carcass.

Here's a great way to do good on this 4th of July.