Shark Fin Soup Is Banned in California
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| Clemson via Flickr |
| Jerry Brown is California's own soup Nazi |
Brown signed the controversial ban today, saying it will help curb the dwindling shark population. "The practice of cutting the fins off of living sharks and dumping them back in the ocean is not only cruel, but it harms the health of our oceans," Brown said.
The new law means no more importing shark fins starting Jan. 1, 2012. Fins that are already in the state can be sold and processed until July 1, 2013. The ban had split the Asian community, including local pols like Mayor Ed Lee who admitted he kinda liked the Chinese delicacy.
But as much as Californians enjoy the gelatinous soup, they also couldn't seem to stomach the practice of shark finning -- at least not enough to support the legalization of it. According to a May 2011 poll, 76 percent of all state voters and 70 percent of all Chinese voters wanted to see a ban on the sale and distribution of shark fins.
But you know what this means now ... there will be more hungry sharks swimming the ocean.
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