Legislative Alert: Urge NJ Assembly to Pass Bill Banning Shark Fin Sale or Trade

A bill banning the ownership and sale of shark fins is once again scheduled for a vote in the NJ Assembly. The American Littoral Society asks members to contact their legislators and the Speaker of the Assembly to urge passage of this important bill.

A4845/S2905 would ban the sale and trade of certain shark fins, which will reduce the chance that foreign shark fins end up in our state. While shark finning itself is banned by federal law, the states must ban the sale and possession of these fins to further protect sharks, which are a vital component of our ocean ecosystem. The shark fin bill passed the NJ Senate in March and has been awaiting action in the Assembly.

"The Littoral Society and numerous other organizations are deeply concerned with the decline of shark populations, which are crucial to the health of the ocean," said Tim Dillingham, Executive Director of the American Littoral Society. "We have been working for years to ban the possession, sale, trade or distribution of shark fins and we hope that New Jersey is ready to join other states that have already taken action to end the terrible practice of shark fining."

​We ask Littoral Society members and supporters to contact by phone and email both Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and their district Assembly representative to urge passage of this bill.

Speaker Coughlin’s office email is [email protected] and his office phone is: (732) 855-7441.

Find your NJ legislative district via the following link, then click through on the district number to find contact information for specific legislators: https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/districts/municipalities.asp.

With emails please include the subject line: “We support A4845 receiving a favorable Assembly vote" to ensure legislative staff can see your support even if they don't open the email.

Compose your own message or use the following: 

I’m emailing/calling today to ask – as your constituent – that you support the A4845, which would ban buying, selling and trading shark fins in New Jersey.

Harvesting shark fins is one of the greatest threats facing shark populations around the world and many shark species are now considered at high or very high risk of extinction. 

We need healthy shark populations in order to preserve and protect healthy oceans. Banning shark fin commerce is an important step toward protecting sharks.

Thanks for your support.