Photo via Shutterstock

The Maryland House of Delegates has passed legislation that would ban the possession, sale, trade and distribution of shark fins. If the Senate passes the bill, Maryland would join five states and the three U.S. territories in the South Pacific that prohibit the shark fin trade.

A similar bill was considered last year, but it didn’t move forward. (The Senate passed the bill, but it died in the House.) And despite the fact that no shark fins moved through the Port of Baltimore in recent years, the Baltimore Sun wrote last year that the region still imports shark products for use in Chinese cuisine:

Oceana’s Beth Lowell says there’s been no dried shark fin shipped into or out of the port of Baltimore, but U.S. Customs data show exports of shark products, mainly dogfish, exported from Washington and Norfolk. But the broader mid-Atlantic region is a net importer of shark products, government data show, with 6155 kilos imported last year, valued at nearly $700,000. Some 800 kilos valued at $70,000 were exported.

According to a Post article from last year, two local restaurants—one in Rockville, the other in Silver Spring—serve shark fin soup.

In a press release, Tami Santelli, Maryland senior state director for The Humane Society of the U.S., explained why the bill would be necessary.

“Although Maryland fishermen are not engaged in ‘finning’ of sharks, the market in Maryland for shark fins fuels the unsustainable trade and the inhumane and wasteful practice in waters with lax shark protection laws. House Bill 1148 makes a strong statement that Maryland will no longer participate in this market,” she said.

The bill would still allow for the hunting of sharks, and shark fins could still be used for food—but not offered separate from the rest of the shark. In essence, a restaurant in Maryland could still serve shark fin soup, but it would have to catch and use the whole shark.

The bill, introduced by Montgomery County Democrat Del. Eric Luedtke, passed 115-17. Partner legislation has been introduced in the Senate by Sen. Brian Frosh, who is also from Montgomery County.