The California Senate on Tuesday passed a bill - AB 376 - that bans the possession or sale of shark fins. The bill, which had previously passed the state assembly, now goes to Governor Brown.
The controversy revolves around the use of the fins in shark fin soup, consumed by some Asians and some Asian-Americans who reside in California.
While shark "finning" is already illegal in California, possession or sale of shark fins has to this point been legal.
A companion piece of legislation - AB 853 - offers two compromises. It grants an exemption to fishermen who inadvertently catch sharks and allows people who possess shark fins as of January 1, 2012, to possess or sell those fins until July 1, 2013.
Support for these bills was split among Asian-American members of the state senate.
