Kerry's shark protection bill passed

[karynnj]

Coburn had been holding it hostage because it had a cost - that they found an offset for.

The Senate passed a landmark shark conservation bill Monday that would close loopholes that had allowed the lucrative shark fin trade to continue operations off the West Coast.

The measure would require any vessel to land sharks with their fins attached prevent non-fishing vessels from transporting fins without their carcasses. The practice of cutting off a shark's fins and dumping its body overboard, which is now banned off the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf of Mexico but not the Pacific, has expanded worldwide due to rising demand for shark's fin soup in Asia.

"Shark finning has fueled massive population declines and irreversible disruption of our oceans," said Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass), the bill's author, in a statement. "Finally we've come through with a tough approach to tackle this serious threat to our marine life."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/20/AR2010122004046.html

Not New Start, but a good bill.

[MBS]

1. good. I'm really glad he's stayed on this. n/t

[karynnj]

2. He gets congratulations from the Discovery channel

"As a strong supporter of Senator Kerry's Shark Conservation Act, we at Discovery are thrilled that this critically important legislation passed the full Senate today. We applaud Senator Kerry for all of his hard work and dedication to preserving this imperiled species and now urge the House to quickly pass this legislation," said Clark Bunting, the president and general manager of Discovery Channel and president of Science Channel.

Each year, commercial fishing kills more than 100 million sharks worldwide - including tens of millions just for their fins. Discovery Channel is dedicated to educating the public about sharks and to the preservation of the species. Every August Discovery Channel presents Shark Week as a highlight of summer programming.

Discovery Channel is committed to working with advocacy partners including Oceana, The Ocean Conservancy and The Pew Charitable Trusts to provide information across all mediums on the plight of sharks. Throughout Shark Week this past August Discovery ran public service announcements, engineered Facebook and Twitter campaigns and posted blogs to educate viewers about the plight of sharks and encourage grassroots action.

http://www.examiner.com/cable-tv-in-national/discovery-channel-congratulattes-senator-kerry-on-passage-of-shark-bill