US poised to ban shark fin trade, pleasing conservationists

Confiscated shark fins are displayed during a news conference, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020, in Doral, Fla. [AP Photo]

The U.S. is poised to ban the lucrative trade in shark fins, a move conservationists hope will help protect millions of sharks that are butchered every year to satisfy demand in China and other parts of Asia.

The practice of shark finning, whereby sharks are caught for their fins and their carcasses then dumped back into the ocean, has been banned in U.S. waters for decades. But the U.S. remains a major hub for the brisk trade where the fins of as many as 73 million sharks are cut off around the world each year.