Shark Poachers Nailed

Thought this would be of interest, the article is on the Discovery Channel web site. Good to see the authorities taking action but until the demand stops, the actions of these people will continue.

Shark Poachers Nailed
This week, authorities in Mozambique seized and confiscated an unlicensed vessel from Namibia that was illegally fishing for sharks off the southeastern coast of Africa. Although we often hear about ocean poachers, what was found on the vessel makes it easy to understand why shark populations worldwide are nearly all threatened, with some on the brink of extinction.

The Namibian ship, called the Antillas Reefer, had this as its cargo:

43 tons of sharks

4 tons of shark fins

1.8 tons of shark tails

11.3 tons of shark liver

20 tons of shark oil

The value of the catch?
Five million dollars.

The Antillas Reefer almost got away with the crime. A Mozambique company, Sabcal Pescas, first brought the vessel into the region on the pretense of tuna fishing. The Fisheries Ministry there was supposed to issue it a license for this activity but, even before any gear was inspected, the Antillas Reefer went out hunting for sharks—with banned gear. If it weren't for some watchful legit Mozambican fishermen, who spotted the ship, it would still be out in the water hauling up more sharks.

The company that owned the illegal vessel was fined $4.5 million, in addition to the authorities seizing and confiscating the ship.

You can see the problem. One kilogram (about 2.2 pounds) of shark anything is worth about $700. That is 70 times the value of the same amount of tuna. So long as there is high public demand for shark fin soup, shark meat, shark teeth souvenirs, shark skin and other shark products, the poaching will continue.

At least authorities seem to be stepping up their efforts. Conservation groups have also been following fishermen that practice shark finning. The below rare footage shows the carnage these ships often leave behind on the ocean floor.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zep7B1esW-M"]YouTube - Shark Fin Frontier[/ame]

Poaching is just one threat facing sharks now. As Shark Week gets underway at the Discovery Channel, please tune in here again to learn what you can do to help ensure that sharks have a future.