New York State's ban on the trading of shark fins, used in Chinese cuisine, goes into effect next month, and the sale and purchase of elephant ivory and rhino horn may be next.

The state Assembly passed legislation this week that amended environmental laws to ban ivory and rhino horn sales; the Senate is expected to vote on the legislation by June 19.

New York is the biggest market for ivory sales in the United States, and the US is the second-biggest market after China, according to Iris Ho, wildlife program manager of Humane Society International.

At a press conference in New York City on Friday, representatives from the Humane Society and the American Buddhist Confederation in New York reminded practicing Buddhists in the Chinese community about the shark-fin ban that starts July 1, and the pending legislation on the sale of ivory and rhino horn.

"Buddhism teaches compassion for all beings and urges refraining from consuming and using items made of animals and their products," said Refa Shi, president of the American Buddhist Confederation. "The ivory trade builds upon brutal killing of elephants to obtain their tusks and involves transnational criminal syndicates and terrorist groups who profit from the sale of ivory and ivory items. The cruel ivory trade is incompatible with the compassion and peace that Buddhists believe in and advocate."

The Humane Society partnered with the American Buddhist Confederation a few years ago to spread information about the ivory and rhino horn trade and the consumption of shark fin.

"It's a good match because we have a common goal of protecting animals, protecting animals that's Buddhists encourage their members to do. For us, we urge people to protect animals," Ho told China Daily.

In the Chinese community, ivory is often used in religious items such as Buddhist statues and Buddhist beasts, with many Chinese unaware of the inhumane way ivory is acquired, Ho said. "That's why we want to make sure that the Chinese communities that had religious ivory will stop purchasing these ivory items for the sake of protecting the animals," she said.

Shark fins are used in a popular Chinese dish called shark fin soup, which is usually served on special occasions like weddings or during holidays. Shark fin soup is widely available in Chinese restaurants across the US as well as restaurants in China.

The shark fin law takes effect on July 1. It accommodates some demand by allowing the sale of fins from two species of dogfish, considered the most abundant shark in the North Atlantic.

The so-called finning of sharks — catching them, cutting off their fins and returning them to the water to die — is already illegal in the US and New York coastal waters. New York also prohibits sport fishing for many shark species.

Anyone caught possessing, selling or distributing shark fin in New York State after July 1 will be fined $100 for each shark fin and may face up to 15 days in jail.

"Ever year, an estimated 73 million sharks are killed to supply the growing global demand for their fins," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said when he signed the ban. "Not only is the process inhuman, but it also affects the natural balance of the oceanic ecosystem."

Other states with shark-fin bans are California, Hawaii, Illinois, Oregon, Washington, Maryland and Delaware.

amyhe@chinadailyusa.com

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