2010 MARKED THE BEGINNING OF A CHANGE

Hawaii was the first State to enact a shark fin trade ban in 2010, thanks to State Senator Clayton Hee. This law became model legislation for 13 other U.S. States and many Pacific Island Nations. 

U.S. States that passed Fin Trade laws since 2010  

• Hawaii (2010)

• California (2011)

• Washington (2011)

• Oregon (2011)

• Illinois (2012)

• New York (2013)

• Maryland (2013)

• Delaware (2013)

• Massachusetts (2014)

• Rhode Island (2017)

• Texas (2015)

• Nevada (2018)

• New Jersey (2020)

• Florida (2020)

U.S. Territories

• Guam (2011)

• Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) (2011)

• American Samoa (2012)

Shark Sanctuaries (more info about Shark Sanctuaries at Pew Shark Conservation)

• Palau

• Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI)

• Federated States of Micronesia (FSM)

• Cook Islands

• French Polynesia

• Kiribati

• New Caledonia

• Samoa

• New Caledonia

• Maldives

• The Bahamas

• Honduras

• Dominican Republic

• Cayman Islands

• Bonaire

• British Virgin Islands

• St. Maarten

• Saba

 WE HAVE MADE PROGRESS, BUT THE BATTLE CONTINUES

Along with the success, the opposition to fin bans has also grown. As one State shuts down, the trade tends to move to the next. This is not a reason to give up. It simply means we have to persist. It is crucial that we do not let off the pressure and continue to block the trade in the key coastal US States as well as on a national level.