美國華盛頓州長克里斯貴格爾(Chris Gregoirew) 日前簽署通過一項法案，禁止州內所有對魚翅的銷售、交易或配銷，包括魚翅的衍生性產品。
魚翅湯常在中國餐廳內被視為地位象徵，而此次的議案將魚翅湯列為非法產品。魚翅湯一般被作為喜宴和婚禮的佳餚，一碗可銷售至50美元的價格。
鯊魚軟骨補給食品也會從此在華盛頓州的商品架上消失。它們一般被宣稱具有對抗或預防各種疾病的效果，甚至包括癌症。此種補給品的功效還沒有得到科學證明，鯊魚軟骨未經美國食品藥品監督管理局(FDA)審查。
此項法案的主要倡議者為華盛頓州參議員凱文倫克(Kevin Ranker) ，他也是聖磺島的民主黨黨員、自然資源和海洋委員會(the Natural Resources and Marine Waters Committee)主席。議會以95比1的票數一致性地通過了這項議案。
倫克表示：「在現有的努力之下，西海岸的鯊魚數量仍然持續減少。這項法案是對抗此問題的新方法，也是能夠有所成效的方法。少了明確的立法，鯊魚群落只會繼續縮小，而最終難逃瀕危或絕種。」
保育人士表示，這項法案將對減少中的鯊魚群落帶來一大幫助。最近幾十年來，非永續經營性的捕魚方法已造成鯊魚數量減少近99%。
每年有超過7300萬的鯊魚遭捕殺，其中多是為了取得魚翅。此種食材多取自於鯊魚魚鰭。在取得魚翅的取鰭過程中，鯊魚被切下魚鰭然後丟回大海中，最後溺斃或流血致死。
美國人道協會華盛頓州主任丹保羅表示：「SB5688法案的簽署傳遞給社會一項重要的訊息：身為長青州，華盛頓州不會容忍取鰭這樣殘忍又浪費的行為。華盛頓州的立法者為地球上的海洋頂級掠食動物挺身而出，我們深表讚揚。」
海洋保育組織(Oceana)扮演了在國際上提倡相關行動的重要角色，其總部設在華盛頓特區。身為該組織的資深顧問和太平洋區法律顧問，韋特席爾德(Whit Sheard) 表示：「藉由此法案的簽署，華盛頓州政府強力扮演了西海岸的領導角色，率先發起行動以處理全球問題。」
「這項議案能帶來兩個影響：一來，海洋頂級掠食動物的耗盡是浪費且不必要的，此議案使我們朝終結這樣的行為邁進了一大步。二來，奧瑞岡州和加州已有懸而未決的類似法案，透過這次法案的通過，華盛頓州為其樹立了典範。」
過去，類似的法案已在夏威夷、北馬里亞納群島和關島通過，也已經在加州和奧瑞岡州提出。
Washington Governor Chris Gregoire has signed into law a bill that bans the sale, trade or distribution of shark fins or derivative products in the state.
The measure outlaws the sale of shark fin soup, often served as a status symbol in Chinese restaurants. The soup, which can sell for more than $50 a bowl, is a feature of banquets and weddings.
Shark cartilage supplements will also disappear from store shelves in Washington. Shark cartilage is claimed to combat and/or prevent a variety of illnesses, including cancer. The benefits of this supplement have not been scientifically proven, nor has shark cartilage been reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
State Senator Kevin Ranker, a San Juan Island Democrat who chairs the Natural Resources and Marine Waters Committee, was the bill's primary sponsor. The measure unanimously passed in the Senate. The House voted 95 to 1 in favor.
"Despite current efforts, shark populations along the west coast continue to shrink," said Ranker. "This is a new way to combat the problem - and one which will work. Without this legislation, shark communities will only continue to decline until they become endangered or extinct."
Conservationists say the law will help to relieve the pressure on dwindling shark populations. Unsustainable fishing methods have led some shark populations to decline by as much as 99 percent in recent decades.
More than 73 million sharks are killed every year primarily for their fins, which are often harvested through finning, a practice that involves slicing off the fins and discarding the animal at sea to drown or bleed to death.
"The signing of SB 5688 sends a strong message that the Evergreen State will not tolerate the cruel and wasteful practice of shark finning," said Dan Paul, state director for The Humane Society of the United States in Washington. "We commend Washington's lawmakers for standing up for the world's top oceanic predators."
"By signing this legislation the governor took a very large west coast leadership role in initiating action to address a global problem," said Whit Sheard, senior advisor and Pacific counsel for Oceana, an international advocacy group based in Washington, DC.
"This bill will do two things, help us move closer to ending the wasteful and unnecessary depletion of our ocean's top predators and serve as a model for Oregon and California as they have similar pending legislation," said Sheard.
Similar laws have been passed in Hawaii, the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam, and are before the legislatures in California and Oregon.
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