Also worrisome is the fact that local bans are often not effective. A telling example is Chicago's 2006 attempt to ban foie gras (fattened goose liver), which resulted in an explosion of secret restaurants willing to serve the delicacy. The ban was repealed within two years.
However, if local governments do pass legislation restricting consumption practices, the shark's fin ban is so specific it becomes suspect. Why focus on this particular fish? Blue-fin tuna has long been endangered and yet is still legal to eat and sell in places with shark's fin bans. Perhaps this is a law that stems from a desire to stop extreme animal cruelty. But if so, why aren't we banning the consumption of factory-farmed meat, which affects one billion broiler chickens, 80 million hogs and millions of cattle yearly in the U.S.? If there was legislation banning the sale, distribution and consumption of these products as well, banning shark's fin would make sense. In isolation, there seems to be some form of scapegoating going on.