Shark Fin Legislation by Diana Lee (Dahyun Lee) Gunn High School

The shark fin legislation has been an ongoing war between opposing sides for many years, and even celebrities have stepped in to voice their opinions on the issue. At last, that war is over because the ban on possession, sale and distribution of shark fins has been passed, effective in 2013. Government Jerry Brown made the final decision clearly stating, "The practice of cutting the fins off of living sharks and dumping them back in the ocean is not only cruel, but it harms the health of our oceans. Researchers estimate that some shark populations have declined by more than 90 percent, portending grave threats to our environment and commercial fishing. In the interest of future generations, I have signed this bill." Brown could not have done a better job of summing up the points. Now, California joins Hawaii, Washington and Oregon in having accomplished this long awaited mission.

However, we must acknowledge the brave souls that partook in this great mission. To start off, Richard Branson, the billionaire business tycoon, and Yao Ming, a retired professional basketball player, attended a press conference fighting against eating shark fins in Shanghai, China. Branson even personally called Governor Brown and urged him to sign the ban, which greatly surprised Brown. Yao told the story of how he gave up eating shark fins in 2006 and abstains from events where shark fins are served. In the political office, assembly members Paul Fong and Jared Huffman took the first step and introduced the bill, in hopes of being able to convince other assembly members. When asked how he was able to convert other assembly members to advocates of shark fin ban, he simply answered, “It wasn't that difficult, actually. The [assembly members] have received tens of thousands of support letters from voters. That was key -- the overwhelming amount of people in California that support the shark fin ban.” This is the uplifting truth, and I hope that many people will be inspired by this to take action, famous or not, even when it seems like it won’t make much of a difference. Every voice counts, and tens of thousands of voices may lead to the light at the end of the tunnel.

Like every controversial issue, this one caused a furious reaction on one side, in this case the Chinese restaurant owners. "I think it's a case of discrimination against Chinese because it's only Chinese who eat fin soup," said Pius Lee, chairman of the Chinatown Neighborhood Association in San Francisco. "I'm very disappointed that the governor did not investigate the whole set of facts. We believe that cutting fins and throwing the other part of the shark back is entirely not true." Those opposed to the ban must understand that the tens of thousands of advocates of the ban were well aware of the fins’ role as a Chinese delicacy, but the environmental impact was too great to ignore. One must remember that doing what is right is more important than trying to please everyone.