For Texas game wardens, cracking down on illegal shark fins is just another day on the job, one they say helps protect both coastal ecosystems and the paychecks that rely on them. The agency put that work in the spotlight this week with a #WardenWednesday post that highlighted inspections, seizures and outreach aimed at starving the illegal fin market. Conservationists and law enforcement officials argue that the trade in detached shark fins can drive declines in local shark populations and create openings for illicit commerce.
Each fin involved in a violation counts as a separate offense and violations can lead to criminal charges. When a case is filed, game wardens seize the fins or related products as evidence, and upon conviction, they are destroyed. 4/5 pic.twitter.com/saSs9gknXM
— Texas Game Wardens (@TexasGameWarden) November 19, 2025
State law and new rules give wardens more tools
Per the Parks and Wildlife Code §66.2161, buying, selling or possessing shark fins for commercial purposes is illegal in Texas, and each fin can be charged as a separate offense. The Parks and Wildlife Commission also adopted an implementing rule, 31 TAC §57.979, that lays out how fins removed at a restaurant must be denatured and disposed of, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The department highlighted that enforcement work in a recent post on the Texas Game Wardens X account.
Past seizures show the market remains active
Enforcement has turned up some sizable stashes in recent years. In April 2022, wardens reported finding 381 whole shark fins and roughly 29 pounds of fin meat during an inspection of a San Antonio restaurant, as reported by The Washington Post. Local coverage later identified the business as Van’s Restaurant and shows TPWD investigators pursued charges in that case, per KSAT.
What wardens can seize and the penalties
The statute gives wardens authority to seize fins and treats possession for sale as a criminal offense. Most first offenses are Class B Parks and Wildlife Code misdemeanors, upgraded to Class A for repeat violations, and the law treats each individual fin as a separate charge, according to the state code. When seized fins are forfeited after a court ruling, the department is directed to destroy them as part of evidence disposition.
How businesses must handle fins
The commission's 2023 rule requires that any fin detached during processing be rendered inedible, with the rule text from TPWD citing immersion in chlorine bleach or another chemical as an approved denaturing method, and then sent to a landfill permitted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality or removed by a contracted waste service. Agency materials say the change was meant to clear up ambiguity that once made prosecutions tougher and to give wardens clearer standards during inspections.
Conservation context and the national debate
Advocates say the market for fins fuels unsustainable fishing worldwide. Oceana estimates fins from as many as 73 million sharks enter the global trade each year and has pushed for a federal ban on the domestic market. Lawmakers have repeatedly floated measures such as the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act in Congress to try to remove the U.S. market as an incentive for illegal finning.
How to report suspected violations
People who suspect illegal sales or storage of shark fins can submit anonymous tips to Operation Game Thief at 1-800-792-GAME (4263) or through the program's website, which routes information to Texas Game Wardens. The Texas Game Wardens' X post embedded above offers a snapshot of the agency's current enforcement and outreach priorities.
