Hong Kong official are look into two smuggling type of dried shark cinque , each turn back 13 tonnes of suspected endangered species totaling a worth of about $ 8.6 million . Each case on its own “ fracture the past track record of standardized cases ” .
The first shipment was discovered on April 28 at Kwai Chung Customhouse Cargo Compound in Hong Kong and a second , similarly sized loading was again found a workweek by and by .
“ Through risk assessment , Customs police officer selected two container arriving in Hong Kong from Ecuador for inspection and impound about 13 tonnes of suspected dry schedule shark Phoebe mix - loaded with non - scheduled shark louver inside each of the containers , ” wrote the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department ina printing press dismission . A 57 - year - honest-to-goodness man was arrested on April 29 and has since been released on bail as the investigation proceed .
Under theProtection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance , individual guilty of import or exporting an endangered species without a licence may face up to $ 10 million in fines and 10 year in prison house . Shark finning involves cut off a shark ’s dorsal fin , often while it is still alive , according toThe Humane Society International . shark are often released back into their home waters after hold their 5 slew off , making it unimaginable to equilibrise or stabilize in the water and ultimately leading to a slow death .
“ One of the greatest terror to shark is break water – the number of cut the Phoebe off of a shark and discarding its body at ocean , where it could drown , bleed to destruction , or be eaten alert by other fish . The demand for shark fin is primarily driven by the market for shark fin soup , a sumptuousness item popular in some Asiatic cuisine , ” notes ocean advocacy groupOceana . “ In fact , fins from as many as 73 million shark end up in the global shark fin swap every year . ”
A Lebanese pound of shark louvre averages around $ 450 each while a sports stadium ofshark fin soupcan be up to $ 100 , according toShark Allies . An estimate 72 million shark are catch every class , many of which may be considered imperil , such as the scalloped muttonhead and majuscule blockhead .
heaps of body politic have apply full or partial forbiddance on shark fin , according to theAnimal Welfare Institute . In 2013 , Hong Kong outlawed serving shark pentad soup at government functions and , after having long been study the center of the world shark fin trade , has late go under forth stringent enforcement policies in response to the illegal market , according to a reportpublishedby Pew . external efforts such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna & Flora ( CITES ) have set forth a framework for “ monitor and controlling trade in wild animals and plants so as not to jeopardise their selection , ” include sharks , allot toShark Trust .
