Marine scientists estimate that 73 million sharks are slaughtered annually to feed the voracious global demand for their fins that are the main ingredient in shark fin soup.

Sharks take years to mature and procreate. When sharks spawn, they produce only a small number of offspring. Scientists believe that the rate of depletion combined with the slow birthrate threatens sharks with extinction and poses a threat to the ocean ecosystem. As apex predators, sharks play a critical role in controlling the overgrowth of other marine species and maintaining the balance of the sea life food chain.

Assemblyman Paul Fong introduced Assembly Bill 376 to ban the possession, sale and trade of shark fins in California. It aims to reduce overall global demand for fins by closing off the second-largest consumer market for the commodity.

California represents 85 percent of the shark fin trade in the United States. If passed, California would join Hawaii, Washington state, and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands in passing legislation to protect sharks by banning the trade of fins.

Assemblyman Fong decided to author the bill after watching a disturbing video of international fishing operations slicing the fins off of sharks and tossing them back into the ocean to die a slow and painful death. Dried shark fin can sell for as much as $400 per pound, so the floating fisheries cut off the fins of the shark and toss the rest of the carcass overboard because most of the remaining meat is either inedible or of little value. Keeping the whole shark onboard would take up valuable storage space on the ship that is reserved for more profitable catch like tuna or swordfish.

AB 376 inexplicably stalled in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee after passing the Assembly with strong bipartisan support, including votes from six of the eight Asian-Pacific American members of the Assembly. Despite testimony from a number of Asian-Pacific Americans and organizations in support of the bill, the members of the Senate committee balked when some of the witnesses charged that the bill discriminates against Chinese.

Recent research contradicts these claims of discrimination. A poll of Chinese Americans commissioned by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and conducted by a nationally recognized polling research firm showed that 70 percent of Chinese Americans interviewed support the proposed legislation banning shark fin.

The polling is further validated by research conducted from 2009 to 2010 by the University of Hong Kong and commissioned by the international environmental organization Bloom, which indicates up to 78 percent of Chinese in Hong Kong believe it is culturally acceptable to forgo shark fin soup at wedding banquets. Chinese legislators in California, Hawaii, Canada, and China have proposed bans on shark fin. In addition, numerous Asian-Pacific American community leaders, elected officials, chefs, civil rights activists, and celebrities have expressed support for AB 376.

Nevertheless, the opposition to AB 376 has cleverly muddled the waters on this issue with charges of discrimination. It is true that many Chinese eat shark fin soup and strongly believe that failing to serve shark fin soup at wedding banquets implies that the host lacks wealth or generosity. Shark fin soup was deservedly a coveted cultural dish due to the symbolism associated with the vitality of sharks and the rarity of fins related to the challenge of landing such a feared predator.

But much of that cachet is gone now that millions of sharks are caught and finned by titanic floating fish factories and mass-distributed through global Asian restaurant conglomerates. The shark fin soup that once symbolized vitality and nobility now represents the ignorant depletion of ocean sea life to serve the appetite of an exploding global population of nouveau-riche Chinese.

Once upon a time the Chinese people decided that foot binding was a cruel practice that was no longer an important or defensible aspect of their culture. Despite strong opposition from traditionalists, the majority of Chinese wisely chose to end foot binding.

Chinese throughout the world are at the forefront of the effort to reduce the global demand for shark fin soup and end the indefensibly cruel practice of shark finning. AB 376 is a modest but meaningful step led by a Chinese American legislator toward this effort. Members of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee should feel confident that supporting AB 376 is in the best interest the Chinese community as well as the environment.

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Judy Ki, a retired teacher from San Diego, is co-chair of the Asian Pacific American Ocean Harmony Alliance.

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