LAMONGAN, Indonesia — Wawan has traded in stingrays for years out of the port in Lamongan, a district in Indonesia’s East Java province. At dawn, fishers are often seen returning from the Java Sea to unload their cargo in port, where a shipyard backs onto a road hugging the north coast of the world’s most-populous island. Ordinarily, Wawan sends the animal’s meat and fins two hours south to Surabaya, Indonesia’s second city. The fins usually fetch 1.2 million rupiah ($76) per kilogram (2.2 pounds), while the animal’s leather is sold by the piece to artisans making accessories and other products. Due to customs requirements, Wawan relies on third parties to ship the goods. “It’s done through other people, because you can’t do it if you don’t have permission,” he told Mongabay Indonesia at the port. Wildlife is the world’s fourth-largest illegal market after drugs, people and fake goods. Trade in rare animals is believed to be worth tens of billions of dollars every year, owing to clandestine demand for everything from elephant ivory to tiger skins. In 2019, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), an international organization, elevated several species of guitarfish, a family of rays, from “vulnerable” to “critically endangered.” The upgrade included the bowmouth guitarfish (Rhina ancylostoma), a ray that grows up to 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) and has historically been prized for its meat and fins. Shark and ray leather being dried before being sold to exporters. Image by Asad Asnawi/Mongabay Indonesia. Shark and ray…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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