Shark Finning Prohibition Act (PL. 106–557).

This Act seeks to eliminate shark-finning by requiring Federal authorities to act so as to address shark finning at national and international levels. "Shark-finning" in this Act means the taking of a shark, removing the fin or fins (whether or not including the tail) of a shark, and returning the remainder of the shark to the sea. This Act amends section 307(1) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act so as to add shark-finning to the list of prohibited acts and requires the Secretary of Commerce to promulgate Regulations implementing these new provisions. The Secretary of Commerce shall also initiate international discussions and action to protect sharks, including entering into bilateral and multilateral treaties with all foreign governments which are engaged in, or which have persons or companies engaged in shark-finning and seeking agreements calling for an international ban on shark-finning and other fishing practices adversely affecting these species through the United Nations, the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Committee on Fisheries, and appropriate regional fishery management bodies. The Secretary of Commerce shall also establish a research program for Pacific and Atlantic sharks. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), in consultation with the Western Pacific Fisheries Management Council, shall initiate a cooperative research program with the commercial longlining industry to carry out activities consistent with this Act