Sharks are a little safer from human beings as the California Senate passed the ban on selling and possession of shark fins last week.

The California Shark Protection Act, AB 376 introduced by State Assemblyman Paul Fong and State Assemblyman Jared Huffman, would ban the sale, distribution and possession of shark fins in California.

Shark fins are the main ingredient in a Chinese delicacy soup that can sell for over $100 a bowl. The shark fin industry is a billion-dollar industry with shark fins costing as much as $600 per pound and is more sought after than shark meat.

The high demand for shark fins have seen the global shark population dwindle with nearly tens of millions sharks dying every year because of the brutal practice. Shark fins are removed from the shark's body and the de-finned shark is thrown back to the ocean where it slowly bleeds out and dies.

"It is time to stop serving a soup that is driving sharks to extinction. The cultural issue is very minor compared to the major environmental devastation of eliminating sharks for our world's oceans," Fong said in a statement.

The laws also aims to curb over fishing and, in doing so, help restore the shark population in the ocean.

"We are one critical step closer to ending California's role in the destruction of shark species and to giving these remarkable top predators a chance to recover their populations and restore some balance to our oceans," Huffman said in a statement.

Campaigns to protect the shark species have cropped up around the world as a result of environmental groups efforts to reduce the market for shark fins. There are now bans in Shark fins sales in Hawaii, Oregon, Washington and parts of Canada. The Food Network has removed all shark recipes from its catalog of recipes.

Even in Asia, where demand for the shark fins is increasing, campaigns to end shark fin dining are underway. Campaign efforts from the conservation group WildAid and endorsements from celebrities like basketball star Yao Ming have reduced shark fin consumption by one-third in Honk Kong, Singapore and Taiwan.

"This has been a slow-boil campaign because the traditional methods failed," said Peter Knights, executive director of WildAid, which worked with Mr. Yao. "We went to consumers because it was a crisis and nothing else was dealing with it."

The California ban will have a major impact on the sale of shark fins in the U.S. since most are imported from Hong Kong via California.

But even with demand decreasing in the U.S. and other parts of Asia, sharks are still endangered if the popularity of the dish continues to grow in the Chinese mainland.

Peter Knights has warned consumers that if the decimation of the shark population continues there will be nothing that could replace the delicacy for diners.

. "This is unsustainable," he said, "and the question is, do you end it now or do you wait until there are no sharks left?"