(10-07) 13:19 PDT Sacramento --

Shark fins will no longer be sold or used in food in California starting in 2013, under a law Gov. Jerry Brown signed today that bans the possession, sale and distribution of imported shark fins in the state.

"The practice of cutting the fins off of living sharks and dumping them back in the ocean is not only cruel, but it harms the health of our oceans," Brown said. "Researchers estimate that some shark populations have declined by more than 90 percent, portending grave threats to our environment and commercial fishing. In the interest of future generations, I have signed this bill."

Hawaii, Oregon and Washington have similar statewide bans. However, proponents have said California is a critical state and a ban here would have a major impact on the practice. The bill is AB376 by Assemblyman Paul Fong, D-Sunnyvale.

California already banned shark finning along the coast. The new ban will forbid the importation of any shark fins starting Jan. 1. Fins already in the state can be sold and possessed until July 1, 2013.

Shark fins are used to make shark fin soup, an expensive Chinese delicacy that is popular at special events like weddings. The bill drew widespread attention, with the actor Leonardo DiCaprio urging people to contact Brown to support the ban.

The controversy split Asian American members of the Legislature, with some saying it had racist undertones even though it was introduced by Fong, who is Chinese American. Opponents included Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, who is also Chinese American. Yee said that if a ban is imposed it should be placed on whole sharks, not just their fins.

Focusing just on the fin, they argued, is specifically targeting the Chinese culture.

But proponents argued that shark populations are being decimated by fishing because of the valuable fins, which sell for hundreds of dollars per pound. The soup usually costs around $30 per bowl. They said the ban will help to curb what is known as finning, where the fin and tail are cut off and the shark is dumped back into the ocean where it dies.