Massachusetts Shark Fin Bill

massachusetts

Massachusetts Shark Fin Bill - S.372 Sponsored by Senator John F. Keenan (D-Quincy)

Referred to the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture.

A public hearing was held on November 6, 2013.

I've called Senator Keenan's legislation scheduler for an update - will let you know the status when my call is returned.

TEXT of the bill is as follows:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 370  FILED ON: 1/16/2013

SENATE No. 372

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Thirteen

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An Act relative to the possession and sale of shark fin.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows: SECTION 1. Section 1 of Chapter 130 of the General Laws is hereby amended, by adding the following to the list of defined terms:-

“Shark fin,” the raw, dried, or otherwise processed detached fin, or the raw, dried, or otherwise processed detached tail of any fish of the Elasmobranchii subclass.

SECTION 2. Chapter 130 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following lines, which shall constitute section 106 of said Chapter 130:-

Except as otherwise provided for in this section, no person or common victualler shall possess, sell, offer for sale, trade, distribute or prepare for commercial consumption a shark fin.  Any common victualler in possession of a shark fin processed for consumption as of the effective date of this statute may possess, sell, offer for sale, trade, distribute or prepare for consumption that stock of shark fin until January 1st 2014.