Shark attack victims push Congress

WASHINGTON (AP) - July 15, 2009 Nearly a dozen shark-attack victims - many of them badly scarred or missing limbs - pressed Congress Wednesday to strengthen laws protecting sharks from overfishing and "finning," in which fins are sliced from sharks for their meat and the rest of the fish are left for dead.

The growing market for fin meat, a popular soup delicacy in Asia, is viewed as a driving force behind overfishing that is threatening many shark species around the world.

The lobbying blitz was organized by the Pew Environment Group to pass a bill bolstering shark conservation, including by more strongly enforcing anti-finning laws.