HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3696        FILED ON: 6/10/2013

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3571

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Jason M. Lewis

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to ocean ecology and shark protection.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Jason M. Lewis

Fifth Middlesex

6/10/2013

John W. Scibak

2nd Hampshire

6/11/2013

Peter V. Kocot

1st Hampshire

6/18/2013

Michael O. Moore

Second Worcester

 

Aaron Vega

5th Hampden

6/12/2013

Kay Khan

11th Middlesex

6/12/2013

Tackey Chan

2nd Norfolk

6/12/2013

Kevin J. Kuros

8th Worcester

6/13/2013

Kevin G. Honan

17th Suffolk

6/13/2013

Ruth B. Balser

12th Middlesex

 

Lori A. Ehrlich

8th Essex

 

Cory Atkins

14th Middlesex

6/13/2013

Sheila C. Harrington

1st Middlesex

 

Sean Garballey

23rd Middlesex

 

David M. Rogers

24th Middlesex

 

James B. Eldridge

Middlesex and Worcester

 

Denise Provost

27th Middlesex

6/18/2013

William N. Brownsberger

Second Suffolk and Middlesex

6/17/2013

Paul Brodeur

32nd Middlesex

6/17/2013

James Arciero

2nd Middlesex

 

Elizabeth A. Malia

11th Suffolk

 

Bruce E. Tarr

First Essex and Middlesex

 

Chris Walsh

6th Middlesex

 

Colleen M. Garry

36th Middlesex

 

Daniel A. Wolf

Cape and Islands

 

Patricia D. Jehlen

Second Middlesex

6/18/2013


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3696        FILED ON: 6/10/2013

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3571

By Mr. Lewis of Winchester, a petition (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Jason M. Lewis and others for legislation to ban shark fin trading.  Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the Year Two Thousand Thirteen

_______________

 

An Act relative to ocean ecology and shark protection.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Section 1.  Chapter 130, Title XIX of the Massachusetts General Laws is amended by adding the following new section:-

Section 106. Trade in shark fins; penalty

(a)  For the purpose of this section:

(1) ‘Shark’ shall mean any species of the subclass Elasmobranchii; and

(2) ‘Shark’ does not include smooth-hounds, spiny dogfish, or species in the superorder batoidea; and

(3) ‘Shark fin’ shall mean the raw, dried or otherwise processed detached fin, or the raw, dried or otherwise processed detached tail, of a shark.

(b)  Except as otherwise provided in this section, no person shall possess, sell, offer for sale, trade or distribute a shark fin.

(c)  A person may separate a shark fin from any lawfully-landed shark during the ordinary course of preparing the shark’s body, or body parts other than the fins, for consumption, sale, trade, or distribution, except that any shark fins so separated from a landed shark shall be immediately disposed of through destruction unless possession is otherwise permitted pursuant to subsections (d) or (e) of this section.

(d)  The Division may issue permits for the possession of a shark fin for bona fide non-commercial scientific research purposes.

(e)   Nothing in this section prohibits the possession of a shark fin for purposes of taxidermy and subsequent display.

(f)  Any shark fin seized by the Division through the enforcement of this section shall be destroyed by the Division, and not sold, upon forfeiture.

(g)  Whoever violates this section shall be punished for the first offense by a fine of not less than $150 nor more than $1,000 for every such fin; and for a subsequent offense by a fine of not less than $500 nor more than $2,000 for every such fin, or by imprisonment for not less than 90 days nor more than one year, or both such fine and imprisonment.

Section 2.  This Act takes effect on June 1, 2014.