Congress Protects Sharks Against 'Finning'

Both the House and Senate have approved new protections for sharks, effectively outlawing the practice of "finning"—in which the shark is killed for its fin and the rest of the body discarded, reports the Washington Post. Thanks to big demand for shark fin soup in Asia, the practice has been thriving, especially off the US West Coast because of loopholes in previous legislation. It's fueled "massive population declines," said bill author John Kerry.