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Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission Meeting Date, Agendas and Transcripts

Appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Texas Senate, the Commission adopts policies and rules to carry out all programs of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Every August, the Commission conducts an annual public hearing to receive input from our partners, stakeholders and constituents concerning any issues relating to Department policies, goals, programs, and responsibilities. Anyone who is interested in speaking to the Commission is encouraged to attend. 

Current Regular Commission Meeting

• Next Regular Commission Meeting is August 23rd and 24th.
• Next Annual Public Hearing is August 23rd at 2pm.

Proposed Regulations

Proposed New Rule Governing Possession and Disposal of Shark Fins

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department proposes new 31 TAC §57.979, concerning Unlawful Possession of Shark Fins.

The proposed new rule would prescribe the process to be followed at a restaurant or place of business for treating shark fins to render them inedible and thus unfit for illicit commercial purposes.

The Texas Legislature during the most recent regular session enacted Senate Bill (S.B.) 1839, which addresses the unlawful sale and purchase of shark fins and products derived from shark fins. “Shark finning” is the act of removing a shark’s fins and discarding the rest of the animal, often while it is still alive, leaving the animal to slowly die because it can no longer swim. The practice of shark finning is widely considered to be barbaric and wasteful, and it is illegal in Texas under current law (Texas Parks and Wildlife Code, §66.2161) and in many other states and countries as well. There is a significant commercial demand for shark fins and related products as foodstuffs, which, because the practice is illegal, has resulted in a lucrative opportunity for unscrupulous persons to engage in criminal activity at the expense of a public resource. In light of documented evidence that the practice continues to be common in Texas, the legislature determined that current statutory provisions regarding shark finning are problematic with respect to prosecution and insufficient in terms of deterrence. S.B. 1839 is intended to address the situation by, among other things, increasing penalties for violation and requiring persons in a place of business or restaurant to immediately destroy and discard shark fins while processing sharks for eventual sale. The bill delegates rulemaking authority to the commission to prescribe the particulars of the process by which shark fins are to be denatured (i.e., destroyed) and discarded.

The proposed new rule would stipulate that a shark fin must be destroyed by immersion in chlorine bleach, acid, or other such chemical or chemical solution for a period of time sufficient to render the shark fin inedible or otherwise unfit for human consumption. The proposed rule also would require destroyed shark fins and shark fin parts to be lawfully disposed of at a landfill or disposal site authorized by the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality to accept such materials, which would include waste removal services provided by third parties.