CNMI gets to keep its own shark fin law

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has exempted the Northern Mariana Islands from the federal preemption of the CNMI law that bans the possession, sale, trade, or distribution of shark fins in the CNMI.

In 2013, NOAA proposed implementing regulations for the Shark Conservation Act signed by President Obama in 2011. An outcry followed, as these regulations would have upended state shark fin bans across the nation in places like the CNMI, Guam, Hawaii, California, Oregon, Maryland, and Illinois, among other states.

According to then acting secretary of the Department of Land and Natural Resources Manny Pangelinan in a letter to NOAA in December, there was “no basis for preemption of our anti-shark finning law,” as it was consistent with existing federal conservation law and would not undermine or impact federally managed fisheries in the CNMI as there are none in or near CNMI waters.

NOAA agreed, in a letter to Pangelinan from NOAA assistant administrator for fisheries Eileen Sobeck that same month.

The decision was announced in January and follows the exemptions of other states with similar laws.

Only Guam and Hawaii remain to be exempted.

Over 180,000 comments were submitted against the proposed rule by activists, U.S. and state congressmen, governors, secretaries of natural resource agencies, and students as well, among others.

“We are so pleased that the United States federal government has respected local law and sharks will remain protected in the CNMI. There is presently no shark fishery in the CMNI and its citizens have clearly demonstrated that they want to conserve sharks in their waters. We applaud NOAA for preserving this state law that protects imperiled shark species,” said Pew Charitable Trusts’ Angelo Villagomez in a statement.

Sought for more comment, he said Pew remains “hopeful that the federal government will do the right thing and uphold” state law in Hawaii and Guam.

He called it a “great thing” the CNMI was exempted. The law was drafted with local input, he said.

That a national conservation law would upend local conservation law is “part of the irony” of the situation, he told Saipan Tribune.

“The U.S. as a nation was in a danger of losing its leadership role in shark conservation if this had been implemented,” he said.