'Shark fins are the most sought-after shark product.'
A grey reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) swims inside a tank. Photograph: Andrea Comas/Reuters
A recent factsheet by World Wildlife Fund and TRAFFIC, titled Netted in illegal wildlife trade: Sharks of India revealed that around 16,000 kg of shark fins were confiscated in India from January 2010 to December 2022.
This made it the most commonly seized shark product, with Tamil Nadu accounting for nearly 65% of shark product seizures.
TRAFFIC, incidentally, is a leading NGO working to ensure that trade in wild species is legal.
Merwyn Fernandes, Associate Director of TRAFFIC's India Office, tells Shobha John that despite the species being listed in the Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972 and an export ban on shark-fin trade, 17 incidents of illegal trade in shark derivatives were found from 2010 to 2022.
A man shows a shark fin at a fishmarket. Photograph: Sebastian Castaneda/Reuters
Why are shark fins the most commonly seized shark product?
The demand for shark fins and meat is a major driver of the global shark fishery.
Shark fins are the most sought-after shark product and are used to make shark-fin soup, a delicacy.
In 2015, a blanket ban on shark fin trade was declared in India under the EXIM (Export-Import) policy of the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992.
Would most coastal states have this flourishing illegal trade in shark fins?
Of 160 shark species reported in India, only 26 sharks and rays are protected under the amended Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972 by listing them in Schedules I and II.
Trade in other shark derivatives of non-protected species continues.
Most coastal states are involved in fisheries and may also land sharks, while the derivative (shark-fins) may be gathered or collected for the illegal wildlife trade.
Is there a domestic market for shark fins?
The fins are not much used in India. They may be used in other industries, such as healthcare, poultry-feed and other feed industries, but they are not consumed by humans.
A woman at a fish market, sells different types of fish including dried and salted shark meat. Photograph: Sebastian Castaneda/Reuters
Which countries are they exported to?
To highlight the threat of illegal trade to sharks in India, TRAFFIC analysed open-sourced media reports on incidences of seizure of shark derivatives from January 2010-December 2022.
For this analysis, the reported seizure information was assumed to be correct, and the parts seized were considered genuine. TRAFFIC found 17 incidents of illegal trade in shark derivatives for 2010 to 2022.
Shark fins were the most seized derivative (15,839.5 kg) and were reported in 82% of the seizures. Other derivatives seized included cartilage (1,600 kg) and teeth (2,445).
Tamil Nadu accounted for nearly 65% of the seizure incidents. Other states included Karnataka, Delhi, Gujarat, Kerala and Maharashtra.
The confiscated derivatives were destined for Singapore in 24% of the seizure incidents, Hong Kong in 18% of the incidents, Sri Lanka in 12% and China in 6% of incidents.
In the remaining 41% of incidents, the destination of the confiscated derivatives was unreported.
The highest number of seizures was reported in 2019 and the total seized quantities (in kg) were highest in 2018, with 9,600 kg derivatives seized.
By what percentage has the shark population in the world declined due to this illegal trade?
Overfishing, coupled with low biological productivity, put shark species at a higher risk of extinction when compared to most other vertebrates.
Over one-third of sharks and their Chondrichthyes relatives are threatened worldwide.
A fisherman carries a shark at a fishing harbour in Chennai. Photograph: Babu/Reuters
Which other body parts of the shark are prized?
Demand for shark products varies from affordable meat for local consumption to high-value export products like shark fins used as a culinary delicacy in Asia.
Other shark products that are less frequently used include shark skin (for leather), liver oil (squalene), cartilages for chondroitin sulphate extraction to prepare medicines and jaws and teeth for jewellery and other curios.
Several marine biologists have said that India has fairly low numbers of shark landings and fin exports.
We do not enumerate the landings or the standing stock, but there are references to suggest considerable declines in the stocks of the species from recent publications of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute which suggest the same.
How important are sharks in the oceanic ecosystem and how is this illegal trade jeopardising this ecosystem?
Being top predators and detritivores in the oceanic food web, sharks prey on a wide variety of species (including plankton, fish, crustaceans and marine mammals).
Hence, they exert a powerful influence in maintaining the ecosystem health and species diversity.
As sharks search for prey, their movement helps transport vital nutrients across the marine ecosystem.
A whale shark is found washed ashore near NITK beach in Mangalore, Karnataka. Photograph: ANI Photo
Which particular type of shark is hunted? Also, are female sharks more prized than males because they are bigger?
No particular species is targeted. In the past, there was targeted Whale Shark fishing, which persists to a lesser extent now.
One cannot determine which gender is landed, but yes, post-landing, the larger ones (be it male or female) are preferred as they have more meat and larger fins.
The amended Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972 has granted highest protection status to 26 shark species out of 160, including the Whale Shark, Pondicherry Shark, Ganges River Shark and the Speartooth shark. Does that mean that it is legal to fish for the other shark species?
Yes, it is legal to fish for sharks, except for those species which are protected, while trade in all shark-fins is prohibited.
Shark fins are seen during their drying process. Photograph: Beawiharta/Reuters
Shark fins are one of the most expensive fish products in the world. How expensive are they and why?
It is important not to reveal the prices of a wildlife product as this can sometimes encourage its illegal wildlife trade. We also discourage media and other organisations for the same.
Is there shark fin trade online too?
We have not looked into this, but it is very likely that the shark fin trade is also online.
I believe there are eight types of shark fins -- a pair of pectoral fins, a pair of pelvic fins, two dorsal fins, an anal fin and a caudal fin. Are they all prized or do they have different demands and prices?
There are all in demand, more so for the larger fins (dorsal and pectoral) fins.
Dead sharks inside a city court in Calcutta. Wildlife officials seized dozens of endangered sharks caught in the Bay of Bengal. The sharks were to be served in restaurants as delicacies. Photograph: Jayanta Shaw JS/TZ/Reuters
What initiatives are state governments doing to stop this illegal trade?
Many initiatives have been undertaken by various government and institutional agencies from continuous awareness programmes with the local fishing communities, traders and enhancing the capacity of law enforcement agencies.
What other wildlife contraband is seized by authorities in India?
From our study, in 35% of seizure incidences, other wildlife contraband was also seized along with shark fins.
These included sea cucumbers, sea horses, pipefish, corals, seashells, pangolin scales, skin and antlers of deer, elephant tusks, tiger claws, camel bone, kangaroo pelts, porcupine quills and tortoise shells.
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
