Page 28 - aruba-today-20171028

A28 SCIENCE
Saturday 28 OctOber 2017

Agency gave bad data to senator trying to stop shark finning

By PATRICK WHITTLE fice of Law Enforcement.
Associated Press He said the number of re-
A federal agency said on ports that led to charges
Thursday that it made a was 26.
mistake with a key piece “Shark finning has been
of data it gave to U.S. Sen. and will remain a priority for
Cory Booker as he was NOAA’s Office of Law En-
building a case to shut forcement,” Brennan said.
down America’s shark fin “It’s absolutely something
trade. we investigate and take
Booker, a New Jersey Dem- seriously.”
ocrat, has cited more than Booker has introduced a
500 incidents involving bill, approved by a com-
complaints of shark finning merce and science com-
in the U.S., dating back to mittee and endorsed by
January 2010, as cause to more than 100 scientists,
support shutting down the that would make it illegal
trade. But the number is for any person to “possess,
actually 85. transport, offer for sale, sell,
Booker reached out to the or purchase shark fins or
National Oceanic and At- products containing shark
mospheric Administration fins,” essentially ending the In his July 25, 2016 file photo, Sen. Cory Booker, D-NJ., speaks during the first day of the Democratic
months ago to find out American fin industry. His National Convention in Philadelphia. Associated Press
how often it investigates al- office didn’t immediately
legations of shark finning, return a phone call seeking sharks during processing on groups and fishing inter- the Garden State Seafood
an illegal practice in which comment on Thursday. land. ests about the fin business. Association, which repre-
a shark’s fins are removed Some commercial fishing Saving Seafood, a fishing Activist groups, including sents some shark fishermen.
and the shark is dumped groups have pushed back industry trade group, asked Washington, D.C.-based “The industry has been ma-
back into the water, some- against Booker’s idea of the NOAA to clarify the Oceana, have used the ligned, and they’re doing
times while it’s still alive. shutting down the Ameri- figures about shark finning higher figure to illustrate it to pass legislation that
An NOAA worker’s error in- can fin trade. They draw incidents after seeing con- why Booker’s legislation harms people economi-
volving a new case man- a key distinction between flicting data on the agen- should pass. On Thursday, cally,” he said.
agement system caused illegal finning, which ani- cy’s website. Oceana said it was sticking The U.S. is a minor player
the mistake in the number mal welfare and conserva- “Shark finning is a repre- by the bill. in the worldwide fin trade,
of finning incident reports, tion groups deride as cruel, hensible activity that has The Shark Fin Trade Elimina- which centers on Hong
said Casey Brennan, chief and the legal removal of been outlawed in the U.S. tion Act would “reinforce Kong. The fins are used to
of staff for the NOAA’s Of- fins from sustainably fished and is opposed by partici- the status of the United make shark fin soup, an
pants in the sustainable U.S. States as a leader in shark Asian delicacy.
shark fishery,” said Robert conservation and remove More than a dozen U.S.
Vanasse, executive direc- our participation in the states and territories have
tor of the group. “Members global fin market that kills bans on the sale of fins,
of our coalition do not be- millions of sharks every but the country still has
lieve there is any need for year,” group spokeswom- hundreds of shark fisher-
Booker’s bill.” an Amelia Vorpahl said. men, and they’re allowed
The NOAA’s statement that Fishermen think it’s disin- to have a shark’s fins re-
Tour to the Red Light Lipstixaruba@outlook.com the information about fin- genuous to stick by a pro- moved for sale during pro-
District with a Private ning incidents was incor- posal based on flawed cessing on land. Sharks are
Guide & a FREE bottle (297) 630-5329 rect underscored tensions data, said Greg DiDomeni- valuable for their fins as well
of wine...
between conservation co, executive director of as their meat.q