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Yesterday, Sept. 6, the California Senate passed AB 376, banning the import, possession and sale of shark fins. The Assembly passed the bill in May; if signed, it will take effect in January 2013.

A spectrum of celebrities (including basketball giant Yao Ming) and environmental groups have rallied behind the bill. Defenders of Wildlife is organizing a letter-writing campaign urging Gov. Jerry Brown to sign it.

They describe shark finning as a "gruesome practice" that involves amputating the animals' fins and tails while they are alive, and leaving them to bleed to death or drown. Shark fins fetch about $400 per pound, driving a business that kills about 73 million sharks every year, according to DOW.

"Overfishing of sharks continues today at unsustainable levels," the letter states. "Nearly a third of all shark species face extinction."

Lobbyists representing business groups have reportedly been working against the bill, calling it an attack on Chinese culture. Shark fin soup is a traditional Chinese dish, so a ban in California—which has the nation's largest Chinese-American population—is viewed as a significant blow to the finning industry.

If the bill becomes law, California will join three other states with shark fin bans.