Brazil confiscates biggest catch of shark fins to date In June, IBAMA, Brazil’s federal environmental protection agency, announced it had seized 28.7 metric tons of shark fins, the largest confiscation of its kind in the world, in an operation targeting illegal fishing. The fins are believed to have come from 10,000 sharks, with some dating back three years. The catch, belonging to two companies that were looking to export the fins illegally, was reportedly destined for the Asian market, where shark fin soup is considered a delicacy. Most of the catch belonged to an exporting company from the state of Santa Catarina. Both companies were fined and received infraction notices, according to IBAMA, while other entities suspected of illegal fishing related to the catch were put under investigation. Shark fins seized by IBAMA, Brazil’s federal environmental agency. Image courtesy of IBAMA. The confiscation also raised the issue of the widespread consumption of shark meat in Brazil itself; most of it is sold under the umbrella name of cação, or dogfish in Portuguese, without distinguishing the species it comes from. According to marine conservation group Sea Shepherd Brazil, which has called for a ban on the shark fin trade and shark meat imports, the country consumes about 45,000 metric tons of cação per year, of which about 20,000 metric tons comes from the blue shark (Prionace glauca), a species listed as near-threatened. This year, it was listed in Appendix II of CITES, the global convention on the wildlife trade, which covers…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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