A Happy Valley woman was cited this month after she allegedly sold dried shark fin out of a Southeast Portland store.

Agnes Yu, 52, was charged with unlawful selling or distribution of shark fin, which is a Class A misdemeanor. She has been cited to appear in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

According to a story by National Geographic, shark fins are most often used in soup.

Yu is suspected of selling shark fins out of Wing Ming Herbs, a Chinese medicine store on Southeast 82nd Avenue in Southeast Portland. The Oregon Secretary of State website lists Yu and her husband as the owners of the business.

Yu did not immediately respond to request for comment from The Oregonian/OregonLive.

The Oregon State Police’s Fish and Wildlife Division, along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, began investigating Yu after they received a complaint that she had been selling dried shark fin out of her store. Oregon State Police Captain Tim Fox said he didn’t know how long she had been selling the product, but Yu was cited on Sept. 13.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website, some studies estimate that the fins of between 26 million and 73 million sharks are used in the shark fin trade each year.

In 2011, the Oregon Legislature passed a bill prohibiting possession and distribution of shark fins. In 2000, the Shark Finning Prohibition Act prohibited the practice of removing shark fins and discarding the rest of the shark in the United States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

—Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR

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