Sep 21, 2013 2 min read

Sharks don’t usually stir much sympathy.

They’re not cute and cuddly, like the kittens or puppies that grace calendars.

According to “Jaws,” Steven Spielberg’s first megahit, they relentlessly munch on tourists. When we refer to someone being predatory, what do we call them? Sharks.

But sharks do play a crucial role in the oceanic ecosystem, helping to keep reefs healthy and limiting fish populations. Sharks have been threatened, though, by a trade in their fins, which are commonly used in soup. The practice started in China and migrated onto these shores. Once the fins are removed, however, the sharks are tossed back in the ocean, where, without their fins, they are unable to swim and they suffocate and die.

Amid debates about fracking and taxes, a bill was introduced in the state Senate that would ban the sale and possession of shark fins in Pennsylvania. While this is obviously not a top-tier issue for most voters across the state, it is worthy of support.

Sen. Rich Alloway, a Republican from Franklin County and one of the bill’s co-sponsors, told Harrisburg’s Patriot-News, “I’m an outdoorsman and a sportsman and to me, it’s absolutely outrageous what this shark finning is all about. They pull up a shark, cut its fin off and throw it back in the water where it is essentially left to die. That goes against everything a sportsman stands for.”

And, besides, from what we hear, shark fin soup isn’t all that tasty.