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Clinton Signs Ban on Taking of Fins From Live Sharks

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From Reuters

President Clinton signed legislation Tuesday banning “shark finning”--the process of removing the fin from live sharks at sea and dumping the animals back into the water to die--in all U.S. waters.

The legislation, approved by Congress earlier this month, also provides for the initiation of international negotiations to prohibit shark finning and authorizes research to conserve shark populations.

“The administration has actively supported the prohibition of shark finning because of the harmful impact on sharks and shark populations,” Clinton said in a statement.

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“The practice has been administratively banned in the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. [This legislation] will establish the ban in law and extend it to the Pacific Ocean.”

Shark fins are considered a delicacy in many Asian countries, where they are served in top-class restaurants as shark fin soup. Conservationists say such finning is cruel and wasteful.

“Only through international cooperation can effective management be ensured for sharks, especially on the high seas,” Clinton said. “The United States will intensify efforts to convince other countries to join in prohibiting shark finning.”

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