Shark Finning Prohibition Act
Public Law 106-557 · H.R. 5461 · 106th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Bill Clinton (D) on Dec 21, 2000 · Public Lands and Natural Resources
Sponsor: Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-CA-51)
Cosponsors: None
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Shark Finning Prohibition Act - Amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to make it unlawful to: (1) remove any of the fins of a shark, including the tail, and discard the carcass of the shark at sea; (2) have control or possession of such a fin aboard a fishing vessel without the corresponding carcass; or (3) land such a fin without the corresponding carcass.
Requires the Secretary of Commerce to: (1) initiate international negotiations for the prohibition of shark-finning; (2) submit to Congress a list of nations whose vessels conduct shark- finning, set forth a plan of action for the international conservation of sharks, and include recommendations for U.S. compliance with national, international, and regional obligations relating to shark populations; and (3) establish a research program for Pacific and Atlantic sharks.
Directs the National Marine Fisheries Service to initiate a western Pacific longline fisheries cooperative research program.
Authorizes appropriations.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Natural Resources Committee · House · referred toSubcommittee: Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 10 actions.
- Dec 21, 2000Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 106-557.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 15, 2000PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Dec 7, 2000FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Oct 30, 2000FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Hansen moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Oct 20, 2000CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- Oct 12, 2000CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Natural Resources Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.