Former New York Congressman Ray McGrath's McGrath Group has signed on to represent Oceana, global ocean advocacy group, in its campaign to stop the buying and selling of processed shark fins in the US.

Though shark finning—the greatest threat to the worldwide shark population—is illegal in US waters, imports of fins from countries where finning is legal continue to be sold here.

Shark fin trade

Oceana scored a victory in mid-May when the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation okayed the Shark Fin Trade Elimination Act.

The organization applauded the Committee vote, saying it represents an opportunity to reinforce the status of the US as a leader in shark conservation.

Pew Charitable Trust, Oak Foundation, Marisla Foundation and Rockefeller Brothers Fund, established Oceana in 2001 following a survey that showed only 0.5 percent of the resources of environmental groups went to ocean advocacy.

The group says it's "dedicated to achieving measurable change by conducting specific, science-based campaigns with fixed deadlines and articulated goals."

McGrath was the Republican half of the bipartisan Downey McGrath Group, where he served with Democratic New York Congressman Tom Downey.

That shop closed in 2015 after a 22-year run.