Every year, millions of sharks are caught for their fins to feed the growing worldwide demand for shark fin soup. And this demand has led to drastic declines in shark populations around the world. Some populations have declined by as much as 99 percent in the past 35 years.

The Shark Conservation Act of 2009 would require that sharks be landed with their fins still attached, thus solving enforcement issues and facilitating better data collection. It also closes a loophole related to the transfer of fins at sea, which allows bad actors to circumvent the current law. Additionally, the bill allows the U.S. to take actions against countries that have weaker protections for sharks.

This act has already passed the House of Representatives and is now awaiting final action in the Senate. This is the perfect time to flood the Senate with letters supporting the act! Tell your Senators that you won’t stand for