SACRAMENTO— Assemblymember Fong (D-Cupertino) was honored by SeaStewards and the Gulf of Farallones National Marine Sanctuary for authoring, AB 376, the California Shark Protection Act. Assemblymember Fong, joined by David McGuire, Director of Sea Stewards, and Maria Brown, Superintendent of the Gulf of Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, was presented with the Shark Steward Award for his leadership in protecting the shark population.
"I am honored to receive the Shark Steward Award," said Assemblymember Fong. "The Shark Protection Act demonstrates California's partnership with the global community in protecting the shark population and our ocean's ecosystem for future generations. I would like to thank SeaStewards for their years of hard work and dedication to this important environmental issue."
"We want to honor Mr. Fong for putting ocean health ahead of an unsustainable practice," said David McGuire. "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."
Reaching upwards of $600 dollars a pound, fins are sought after, as opposed to shark meat which sells for approximately $1 a pound. Once the fins are removed, the remainder of the shark's body is thrown overboard, to slowly bleed out and die. The shark fins are then processed, dried, and shipped for consumption. Driving the demand for fins is shark fin soup, a favorable dish served at banquets and special events to demonstrate affluence. It is estimated that over 7 tons were imported last year.
Apex predators, sharks are at the top of the oceans' food chain, once removed, all of the oceans species will fall like a house of cards. With scientists estimating 34 % of the world's sharks already extinct, and up to 99% of some species decimated, we may be the generation that is responsible for killing off a species that has been in existence for over 450 million years.
The California Shark Protection Act passed both houses of the Legislature with bi-partisan support and was signed by Governor Jerry Brown. California now joins the states of Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington to ban the possession, sale, and distribution of shark fins shutting down the trade in the Pacific Coast.
Assemblymember Fong serves as Chair of the Elections and Redistricting Committee and is a member of the Higher Education, Utilities and Commerce, and Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committees. In addition, Assemblymember Fong serves as Chair of the Select Committees on High Technology and Climate Change and Coastal Protection and is a member of the Select Committees on Aerospace, Biotechnology, Community Colleges, Domestic Violence, and Innovation and the Bay Area Economy. He represents Cupertino, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and San Jose.
CONTACT: Bryan C. Singh (916) 319-2022
