Kris Alingod
Source: All Headline News
July 2, 2010

Honolulu, HI - Hawaii's ban on harvesting shark fins took effect Thursday, making the state the first jurisdiction worldwide to prohibit a practice that has brought several species to the brink of extinction.

Senate Bill 2169, championed by state Sen. Clayton Hee, makes it illegal for anyone to possess, sell, offer for sale, trade, or distribute fins.

Long condemned by conservationists, shark finning involves removing fins of a live shark to make into soup and other products, and returning the animal back into the ocean. Finned sharks slowly die from starvation, being eaten by other fish, or drowning due to the inability to move and force water through their gills for oxygen.

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