California Department of Fish and Wildlife Marine Management News


News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 18, 2014


Wildlife Officers Cite San Francisco Man for Shark Fin Possession


Wildlife officers from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) recently cited a San Francisco man for possession of shark fins for sale.

On Jan. 29, wildlife officers conducted a fish business inspection on Kwong Yip, Inc. out of San Francisco, and found what appeared to be shark fins for sale on the premises. It is unlawful to possess shark fin for sale in California. They cited the owner, Michael Kwong, age 42, of San Francisco for the violation. As part of the investigation, wildlife officers seized 2,138 lbs. of product believed to be shark fin. Ongoing analysis is required to verify that all of the seized product is actually shark fin.

Fish and Game Code (FGC) 2021, the law that prohibits possession of shark fin for sale, went into effect in 2011, but included a phase in period to allow restaurants and other businesses to sell off remaining stock. As of Jul. 1, 2013, no person may possess shark fin for sale.

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California Department of Fish and Wildlife Marine Region 20 Lower Ragsdale Dr. Suite 100 Monterey CA 93940