Shark fin, parity bills gain support

Statement

The Water, Oceans and Wildlife Subcommittee heard two of my bills on Tuesday: H.R. 737, the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act, and H.R. 1809, which calls for territorial parity in wildlife and sport fish restoration funding. In discussing the shark fin bill, which now has over 180 cosponsors, I entered into the record a study showing that eight percent of sharks are killed each year while the average rebound rate is under five percent, explaining the dangerous decline in shark populations. My territorial parity bill, which amends the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act and the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act to give state-share funding to each non-state area (an increase to $8 million from the $2.5 million the Marianas now receives), gained the support of Ranking Member McClintock during the hearing and should be able to move quickly through the Natural Resources Committee.

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