There is no peace for sharks. Despite being threatened with extinction, their fins continue to be traded, often illegally. The latest discovery, by Sea Shepherd, concerns a large cargo discovered on a Singapore Airlines flight bound for Hong Kong
There is no peace for sharks. Despite being threatened with extinction, their fins continue to be traded, often illegally. The latest discovery, by Sea Shepherd, concerns a large cargo discovered on a Singapore Airlines flight bound for Hong Kong.
The latter is the largest shark fin trading center in the world. Although there are now numerous measures and initiatives to stop the illegal trade in shark fins, unfortunately it often happens to find them on ships and planes.
On 11 May 2018, Sea Shepherd Hong Kong spotted a large shipment of fins from Sri Lanka for Hong Kong-based Win Lee Fung Ltd. The weight of the fins was staggering, 980 kg, landed on a Singapore Airlines flight. Yet the airline, like many others, has banned its transportation on all its routes.
"Singapore Airlines is another victim of these shark smugglers, who tricked the company into claiming that the shipment was 'dried fish' to bypass internal booking checks" he said Gary Stokes, Head of Sea Shepherd Global for Asia.
Some types of shark fins can be imported into Hong Kong, but for the species listed by the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), there must be a permit. The fins seized belonged to the oceanic whitetip shark and the whale shark. Both species belong to CITES Appendix 2 and must have an export permit.
Last year Sea Shepherd Global conducted asurvey three months in Hong Kong and discovered shipments from Maersk, Virgin Australia Cargo and Cathay Pacific, all victims of the deceptive shark fin industry. In all cases, shipments were booked with vague descriptions such as "dried fish" or "marine products".
Sea Shepherd Global has asked the Hong Kong government to make mandatory use of international transportation codes for all wildlife products when booking any cargo destined for Hong Kong. Only then will Hong Kong Customs and the AFCD (Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation) have the ability to conduct more thorough inspections.
"They should no longer be called traders but shark fin smugglers and they should be treated as such, they are criminals," said Gary Stokes.
According to the WWF, around 100 million sharks could be killed each year, and are often targeted for their fins.
A massacre that despite the prohibitions does not seem to have an end.
READ also:
- The unsustainable shark fin soup
- Cathay Pacific will no longer carry shark fins on its aircraft
- Shark finning: the European Parliament forever bans the terrible practice of cutting shark fins
Francesca Mancuso
Photo: Sea Shepherd
