New York introduces bill to ban shark fins

SUMMARY

BILL NO    A07707A

SAME AS    Same as S 6431

SPONSOR    Maisel

COSPNSR    Rivera P, Rosenthal, Lavine, Roberts

MLTSPNSR   Boyland, Reilly

Amd S13-0338, En Con L

Prohibits the possession, sale, offering for sale, trade or distribution of shark fins.

ACTIONS

05/16/2011 referred to environmental conservation
01/04/2012 referred to environmental conservation
02/22/2012 amend (t) and recommit to environmental conservation
02/22/2012 print number 7707a

TEXT

S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

7707–A

2011-2012 Regular Sessions

I N  A S S E M B L Y

May 16, 2011
___________

Introduced  by M. of A. MAISEL, P. RIVERA, ROSENTHAL, LAVINE, ROBERTS —
Multi-Sponsored by — M. of  A.  BOYLAND,  REILLY  —  read  once  and
referred to the Committee on Environmental Conservation — recommitted
to  the  Committee  on  Environmental  Conservation in accordance with
Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 — committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

AN ACT to amend the  environmental  conservation  law,  in  relation  to
prohibiting  the  possession,  sale, offer for sale, trade or distrib-
ution of shark fins

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

Section  1.  Section 13-0338 of the environmental conservation law, as
added by chapter 231 of the laws of 1992, paragraph a of  subdivision  1
as  amended by chapter 308 of the laws of 1999, subdivision 4 as amended
by chapter 428 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read as follows:
S 13-0338. Sharks; finning prohibited.
1. For purposes of this section:
a. “Shark” means any species of the [order Squaliformes except species
in the suborder Batoidea, and] SUBCLASS ELASMOBRANCHII;
b. “Finning” means the removal of a fin[, other than the caudal  fin,]
from  a shark and not retaining the remainder of the shark’s carcass[.];
AND
C. “SHARK FIN” MEANS THE RAW, DRIED OR  OTHERWISE  PROCESSED  DETACHED
FIN, OR THE RAW, DRIED OR OTHERWISE PROCESSED DETACHED TAIL, OF A SHARK.
2.  No  person shall engage in finning on the waters of the marine and
coastal district.
3. [No person shall possess shark  fins  in  the  marine  and  coastal
district  unless  the  proper proportion of species, number, and size of
shark carcasses is also possessed.]  EXCEPT  AS  OTHERWISE  PROVIDED  IN
SUBDIVISION  FOUR  OF THIS SECTION, NO PERSON SHALL POSSESS, SELL, OFFER
FOR SALE, TRADE OR DISTRIBUTE A SHARK FIN.

EXPLANATION–Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11481-02-2
A. 7707–A                          2

4. THE DEPARTMENT MAY ISSUE PERMITS FOR THE POSSESSION OF A SHARK  FIN
FOR BONA FIDE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH OR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES.
5. The department may, until December thirty-first, two thousand thir-
teen, fix by regulation measures for the management of sharks, including
size  limits,  catch  and  possession  limits,  open and closed seasons,
closed areas, restrictions on the manner of taking and landing, require-
ments for permits and eligibility therefor, recordkeeping  requirements,
requirements  on  the  amount  and  type of fishing effort and gear, and
requirements relating to transportation, possession and  sale,  provided
that  such  regulations  are  no  less restrictive than requirements set
forth in this chapter and provided further  that  such  regulations  are
consistent  with  the  compliance  requirements  of  applicable  fishery
management plans adopted by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commis-
sion and with applicable provisions of fishery management plans  adopted
pursuant  to  the  Federal  Fishery  Conservation and Management Act (16
U.S.C. S1800 et seq.).
S 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.

Source: New York State Assembly