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Calif. Senate passes shark fin ban bill

SACRAMENTO, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- The California state Senate has passed a bill banning possession or sale of shark fins that one member said was vital to "our ocean's ecosystem."

If Gov. Jerry Brown signs the bill the senate passed Tuesday, it will mean the days of being able to order shark fin soup in the state are over, the Los Angeles Times reported.

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The measure has been supported by conservation groups seeking to curb the shark fin harvest that has contributed to the sharp decline of shark numbers worldwide but has divided California's Chinese American community, the newspaper said.

The gelatinous soup, prepared with dried shark fins, has long been a Chinese cuisine delicacy, and opponents of a ban say it discriminates against a cultural tradition.

State Sen. Leland Yee called it "an unfair attack on Asian culture and cuisine," but other Chinese-American legislators, along with many celebrities, have backed a ban.

State Assemblyman Paul Fong, a sponsor of the bill, was born in China and grew up eating shark fin soup but said he changed his feelings several years ago after seeing a film about how the fin trade was wiping out shark populations.

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"At this rate they're going to be extinct in our lifetime," Fong said. "And without the top predator, our ocean's ecosystem goes into a huge imbalance and falls like a house of cards.

"I'm proud of my Chinese roots, and our culture will live and survive without shark's fin."

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