The senators proposed a six-month imprisonment for those who will be caught possessing, selling, offering or distributing shark fins in the CNMI.
The original bill proposed a fine from $5,000 to $50,000 but no jail sentence.
The senators want a fine from $5,000 to $30,000 with a six-month jail term.
House Bill 17-94 now returns to the House of Representatives.
House Minority Leader Diego T. Benavente, the bill’s author, said he is glad the Senate passed the measure which, he added, will make the CNMI part of the global effort in saving sharks.
Aside from the Department of Lands and Natural Resources, the Senate version of the bill included the Department of Public Safety as having jurisdiction in enforcing, investigating and, with the assistance of the Attorney General’s Office, pursuing civil or criminal actions against violators.
According to the bill, the shark, one of the top predators in the marine food chain, is more vulnerable to overfishing than most fish.
The data from U.S. and international agencies showed a decline in the shark population worldwide, the bill added.
Unlike other fish, most sharks do not reach sexual maturity until seven to 12 years when they are ready to give birth, thus they cannot rebuild their populations quickly once they are overfished, the bill stated.
It added that shark finning, in which the fin is cut off and the shark is returned to the water, causes tens of millions of sharks to die a slow death each year.
By reducing the demand for shark fins, the bill said the CNMI can ensure that sharks will not become extinct.
Restaurants that already have sharks fins ready for consumption upon the enactment of the bill will have 90 days to sell their supplies of shark fins.
There are some instances when sharks are accidentally caught in large-scale commercial fishing and during fishing competitions.
DLNR, under its marine conservation plan, is now working on a by-catch interaction report which aims to identify the extent of by-catch associated with commercial fishing in the CNMI, the bill stated.
According to H.B. 17-94, DLNR can exempt those holding a license or permit to possess shark fins for research or educational purposes.
