Brazilian authorities on Tuesday announced the seizure of more than 28 tons of shark fins destined for Asia, where they are highly prized, in what the environmental agency Ibama says will be the largest operation of its kind in the world.
The 28.7 tons of fins represent about 10. target blue sharks (‘Prionace glauca’) and mako (‘Isurus oxyrinchus’), Ibama – Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, informed in a statement, adding that were caught “in different regions of the Brazilian coast”.
“This is probably the largest catch of this type of product in history”said Jair Schmitt, one of the agency’s directors, quoted in the note.
Largest fin fitting in the world!
Unfortunately, this happened in Santa Catarina.
IBAMA seized nearly 29 tons of shark fins allegedly illegally exported to Asia. pic.twitter.com/0AJvQIGH8t
— Delegate Matheus Laiola (@MatheusLaiola) June 20, 2023
Nearly all of the fins were seized from a company in the state of Santa Catarina, in the south of the country, while the rest, which another company was preparing to export, were intercepted at São Paulo airport, in the southeast. of the country. According to Ibama, other companies may be involved in human trafficking.
The fins would be exported illegally to Asia, where the trade, centered in Hong Kong, hovers around 465 million euros. The fins can sell for $1,000 a pound in East Asia, where they are used to make soups popular in traditional Chinese cuisine.
At the end of May, Brazil added the mako shark to its endangered species list. This initiative follows the landmark decision taken in November in Panama at the Conference on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which aims to protect some 50 species of sharks threatened by the trade of their fins in Asia.
Source: DN
