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| Subject: Council Allows Finning to Continue! | |
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Author: Jim Morris |
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Date Posted: 940484561PDT For Immediate release 10/20/99 Honolulu, Hawaii The Western Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Council will allow Shark Finning to Continue In a blatant attempt to undermine the US Department of Commerce, the Western Pacific Fisheries Management Council has decided to continue the practice of shark finning in the Western Pacific. The national Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the State of Hawaii Representative did not go along with the rest of the Council and voted against a measure that would still allow 50,000 blue sharks, 85% of which are alive when brought to the boat, to be slaughtered each year, merely for their fins. The Council claimed that by limiting it to 50,000 sharks, that they were acting in a pre-cautionary manner consistent with their mandate. This is clearly a waste and in violation of Section 101-627, 104-297 of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. In part the Act calls for the Council to;.............."develop practical measures that minimize bycatch and avoid unnecessary waste of fish; and is workable and effective;" In a June 21, 1999 letter to the Chairman of the Western Pacific Council, Mr. Terry Garcia, Deputy Administrator for NOAA, directed the Council to "take immediate action to ban the practice of shark finning". In the letter, Mr. Garcia points out that the US has been a leading proponent of international shark conservation measures at the United Nations FAO meetings this year. He goes on to say that "The US position during development of the International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks was that the FAO should affirmatively address this issue, even to the extent of putting in place a global ban on shark finning". Mr. Garcia's letter concludes by saying that "The Council should amend the Western Pacific Pelagic Fishery Management Plan to require full utilization of all sharks harvested in this fishery". In a recent letter to the Council, Penny Dalton, the assistant administrator for fisheries for the NMFS also wrote; "The issue of shark finning needs to be addressed immediately. NMFS' position is that shark finning is wasteful and should be stopped. It is our understanding that the Council will discuss this issue at its June meeting and that sufficient information will be available by that time to consider regulations." In another letter to our Coalition, Ms. Dalton states that; " I am confident that the Council will initiate action on shark management at it’s next meeting on October 19-21. Having all this in front of them and with no justification to continue shark finning, the Council has embarrassed the United States and has undermined the United States ability to initiate an international ban of shark finning. How can the United State call for a global ban when it is still allowed in the Western pacific. The line has been drawn in the sand and it's time for action. The Council has chosen to take on the Department of Commerce, NOAA, NMFS and Congress and it is time for them to step in and back up their warnings to the Council and have the Secretary of Commerce to step across that line and pre-empt the Council see ................... http://www.westpacfisheries.net/actionalert.html It is also time for Congress to call for immediate steps to ban the practice of finning as this Council clearly does not support the National Policy of the United States. The State of Hawaii has also indicated in a recent letter that they would like to move forward to ban shark finning either through the Council or independent of the Council. Both the State and the NMFS have been very patient allowing the Council the opportunity to take action, however, it is now clear that simply is not possible. Bob Endreson Western Pacific Fisheries Coalition [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |
| Subject | Author | Date |
| Finning to Continue! | Capt. Jeff Rogers | 940533154PDT |
| Re: Council Allows Finning to Continue! | John | 940844740PDT |
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