Texas Shark fin bill dies on Senate floor

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A bill passed by the House that outlaws the shark fin market in Texas was killed on the Senate floor today after Republican Senator Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, spoke against it , claiming that if the sharks are caught legally, fishermen should be able to sell any part of the shark they want. The problem that Rep. Eddie Lucio III, D-Brownsville, was trying to solve with his bill  is the illegal finning which is still going on due to the strong market for fins in Texas.  In Texas, the profit outweighs the fine for the illegal taking of fins.

The opposing senators assume that all fishermen are finning sharks legally, and Fraser turned enough senators against the bill that it couldn’t even come up for a vote . A bill needs 21 senators’ permission to get to the floor – and the bill died.