Bill HB 4119
To inform my audience of the new law passed in Illinois, banning shark fins
The passing of this law is essential for the cracking down on this controversial profession.
What is shark fining, The importance of this bill to sharks, The importance of sharks in our lives.

I know we’ve all heard the famous quote, “This is one small step for man.” Well I have a new one for you, “This is one small fin for sharks.” That’s what I think of the new bill passed by Illinois lawmakers HB 4119. This bill bans the sale and trade of shark fins in the state of Illinois. The passing of this law is essential for the cracking down on this cruel and controversial profession. I have learned much of this topic through not only an article in the Huffington Post, but also through Illinois General Assembly and LiveScience.com. First I will give a quick overview of shark fining then I will go into what the bill states and its importance to shark population, and last how the shark population affects us.

For those of you who don’t know shark fining is when fisherman catch a shark for the harvesting of their dorsal and pectoral fins. They do not use the rest of the shark they just place it back in the ocean to slowly die. To most humans this is consider inhumane and animal cruelty, but in most pasts of Asia, China, and Japan it is part of culture. It is not only a delicacy for them, but it is also said to have medicinal purposes too, this along with an ever-growing population has led to high demand for this food source leading to over fishing.

The bill was purposed in January by state Rep. Sara Feigenholtz to amend the states already Fish and Aquatic Life Code. The bill signed on July 1, 2012 states that a person may not possess, sell, offer to sell, trade or distribute a shark fin. (Illinois General Assembly) This makes Illinois the first inland to adopt a policy like this, the fifth in the US. Washington, Oregon California, Hawaii and even Guam have all passed the same legislature. Just because we are not on along the coast does not mean we are not contributing. According to Oceana, a large ocean conservation group, Illinois is a large importer of shark fins. (Huffington Post). This has lead to the numbers in some shark species to decline by as much as 99 percent in recent decades. (Huffington Post)

Now I know when you think of sharks you just think of jaws and that they are just mindless killing machines, but could you say the same about humans, we hunt and kill everything we want so are we really that different. The Great white shark is high on the list for recorded attacks on human, but doesn’t actually like the taste of human flesh; it’s mostly because of a case of mistaken identity. Sharks like all creatures have an important role in the ecosystem. Sharks are the apex predator (top predator) of their ecosystem. Meaning they are not hunted regulate everything down the food chain. Research has shown that taking these animals out of the food chain can have negative effects on and ecosystem and about 68% of this world is made up of salt water