Letter in support of Westchester County's
SHARK FIN PRODUCT PROHIBITION LAW

Legislator William E. Burton
Chair, Legislation Committee

Legislator Thomas Abinanti
Chair, Environment & Energy Committee

County of Westchester
Board of Legislators
148 Martine Avenue
White Plains, NY 10601

We are writing this letter in support of Westchester County's SHARK FIN PRODUCT PROHIBITION LAW.

Shark fins have been shown to contain potentially dangerous levels of methylmercury. Sharks consistently rank among the very highest of all mercury-tainted seafood. Mercury is toxic to humans and is especially dangerous for pregnant women, fetuses, and young children. Mercury has also been associated with lowered male fertility rates.

Additionally, the discovery of other contaminants in shark fin, including hydrogen peroxide and the carcinogen formaldehyde (which are believed to be used as bleaching or finishing agents) are equally concerning. Shark fins are not branded and the processing of most shark fins takes place in Asia. Without the establishment of better processing methods and testing of products, there is no way for a consumer to know whether the shark fins are contaminant free.

The high demand for shark fins in recent decades has resulted in the precipitous decline of shark populations throughout the world. This demand has caused the value of shark fins to skyrocket, with the fins selling for hundreds of dollars a pound, many times higher than any other fish product except caviar.

An analysis of the shark fin trade in Asia estimated that between 26 and 73 million sharks are killed annually worldwide for their fins. Sharks reproduce very slowly and bear few young compared to other fish and are especially vulnerable to overexploitation. About one-third of all shark species are considered endangered by the World Conservation Union. Other studies show populations of key shark species in areas such as the mid-Atlantic to be as much as 99% below the level of just a couple of decades ago. There are no international regulations and few national regulations worldwide to restrain the unsustainable destruction of shark populations.

We respect the cultural traditions of those who eat shark fin soup. While it began as a banquet food for Chinese imperial rulers, it has only recently become a status symbol for those who can afford it. Unfortunately, the popularity of shark fin soup has grown to the degree that it puts the survival of all 500+ species of sharks at risk. We believe that there are other, healthier, less contaminated means of displaying status and providing blessings of prosperity to one's guests.

Therefore, we urge you to pass this law banning the sale of all shark fin products.

References:

US Government 2004. What you need to know about mercury in fish and shellfish. US Department of Health and Human Services and US Environmental Protection Agency bulletin EPA-823-R-04-005 March 2004 accessed online at: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/admehg3.html

Dickman, M.D., C.K. Leung, and M.K. Leung. 1998. Hong Kong Male Subfertility Links to Mercury in Human Hair and Fish. Science of the Total Environment 214:165–74

10 pc of Dried Seafood Toxic. The Hong Kong Standard Newspaper, 5 February 2004. Available at www.accessmylibrary.com/comsite5/bin/comsite5.pl in January 2007

Clarke, S.C., M.K. McAllister, E.J. Milner-Gulland, G.P. Kirkwood, C.G.J. Michielsens, D.J. Agnew, E.K. Pikitch, H. Nakano, and M.S. Shivji, Global Estimates of Shark Catches using Trade Records from Commercial Markets. Ecology Letters 9:1115–26

Myers, R.A., J. K. Baum, T. D. Shepherd, S. P. Powers, and C. H. Peterson, Cascading Effects of the Loss of Apex Predatory Sharks from a Coastal Ocean, Science 30 March 2007 315: 1846-1850

Clarke, S.C., E.J. Milner-Gulland, T.B. Cemare, Social, Economic, and Regulatory Drivers of the Shark Fin Trade, Marine Resource Economics, Volume 22, pp. 305–327