The WildLife: Shark Fin Trade, Rebecca Regnery

Rebecca Regnery explains how shark finning is threatening the world's sharks.  In her conversation with "The WildLife" host Laurel Neme, she tells how the value of shark fins combined with limited space on fishing vessels encourages many shark fishermen to cut off the fins and toss the rest of the animal back into the water.  In many places shark finning is legal and the regulations that do exist are difficult to enforce.  But that might change as the US Congress seeks to stop this practice by requiring sharks to arrive in port with fins attached and the March 2010 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Conference of Parties considers proposals to protect several additional shark species. Rebecca Regnery is the Deputy Director for Humane Society International, part of The Humane Society of the United States.  She is responsible for managing the wildlife programs of the Humane Society International and also the organization’s involvement in international treaties and agreements. She co-chairs the Species Survival Network (SSN) Sea Turtle and Marine Fish working groups and leads international efforts to develop policies to put an end to shark finning.  This episode of "The WildLife" aired on The Radiator, WOMM-LP, 105.9 FM in Burlington, Vermont on December 14, 2009.