On the Trail - Robin des Bois

Sharks
Seizure of 15 kg of shark’s fins and 2.4kg of
shark maw
Dalian International Airport, Province of Liaoning,
China
July 11 th , 2013
There have been others similar, but this is the
largest seizure of shark fins ever carried out in this
airport. The shark species concerned were not indicated.
The listing of 5 of the species of sharks in Appendix
II decided during the last CITES Conference
of Parties had not yet entered into effect in July. The
shipment was sent off again in the baggages of 3
passengers whose origin and nationalities were not
given.
The fins represent no more than 3-4% of the weight
of the animal. Shark fin soup is prized in Asia and in
particular in China. Historically consumed for grand
occasions, the fins have become a current dish.
However, sharks have elevated levels of mercury in
their bodies, which presents a risk for consumers.
© Chinese customs
Charge of the Executive Chairman of the National
Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture
Puntarenas, Costa Rica
August 2013
The prosecutor suspects the Executive Chairman of
INCOPESCA, the National Institute of Fisheries and
Aquaculture, to be involved in shark fins traffic. An
investigation was opened. A fishing vessel flying
the Belize flag had received permission to enter the
fishing harbor and land sharks that were sold on the
black market or landfilled. The dorsal fins were missing.
This would not be a legal fishing but poaching
and illegal shark fin trade. If the charges against the
Executive Chairman of INCOPESCA were consolidated,
accusations by Sea Shepherd on a Costa Rican
channel would be confirmed. This is not the first
time that Puntarenas Justice focuses on trafficking
in shark fins. 6 complaints are being investigated. 2
years ago, the captain of a Taiwanese fishing boat,
the Hung Chi Fu 12, was sentenced to 2 years in prison.
Unloading from the Hung Chi Fu 12 (ex-Yuh Shan).
Belize pavilion. Length 26,15 m. Built in 2002 in Hsinyuan
(Taiwan) © NR6
Marine Mammals
Seizure of 250 sperm whale teeth
Real de Montroi, Valencia, Spain
July 2013
The Nature Protection Service of the Civil Guard had
been worried about the sale of ivory over the Internet
since June. 2 men, aged 48 and 73, had been
questioned. They tried to sell 80 kg of ivory whale
teeth. The price asked was 1,000 euro per kilo. The
species has been registered under Appendix I of
CITES since 1981. Japan, Norway, Iceland, and Palau
entered a reservation.
Spain was part of the cartel of whaling countries,
which opposed, right up to the last minute, the suspension
of commercial whaling at the International
Whaling Commission. At the Castillejos whaling
station, near the Ceuta port in the Spanish enclave
in Morocco, whalers returned and butchered hundreds
of harpooned sperm whales caught in the
Mediterranean or in the Atlantic Ocean in a large
area around the Canary Islands. During the last 10
years of commercial whaling -1975-1985- Spain
officially caught 3,245 sperm whales, which adds
up to a lot of teeth to be put on the market. Is the
73-year-old Spanish seller an heir to this era ? (Cf.
The Hard Currency of Sperm Whale Teeth p. 77)
© Bruno Congar, Robin des Bois
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On The Trail # 2. Robin des Bois