| Date: |
17-02-2016 |
| Subject: |
Ban on shark fin, more awareness cut practice |
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CHENNAI: A ban on the export of shark fins, a sought after ingredient for soup especially in East and Southeast Asian countries, has in one year led to a drop in sale of the product from Chennai, once a hub for the trade.
The ban that the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) had enforced in February 2015 has also succeeded in curbing the cruel practice by fishermen of shark finning - the removal of a shark's fins and discarding of the rest of the shark to die in the sea.
Fishermen involved in the illegal trade remove the primary and secondary dorsal fins from the top of the shark and its pectoral fins, and, with a single slice, the pelvic and anal fins and lo wer part of of its tail (caudal fin).
Humane Society International India director N Jayasimha said Chennai had been the hub for shark fin trade for a long time.
"Those in the trade brought fins from various coastal regions of the country to Chennai and from here sent them to Hong Kong, the international hub for the trade," he said.
"Traders in Hong Kong then export the fins to various destinations like Malaysia, Singapore and China."
DGFT sent a circular to enforcement agencies such as customs and revenue in telligence to inform them about the ban on the trade of shark fins. Marine Product Export Development Authority officials say there has been a major decrease in exports of the product. They said the global demand for shark fins had reduced in the recent past, with many countries banning the practice of shark finning.
Wildlife Crime Control Bureau officers, however, say shark finning is still rampant in the state. Fishermen sell fins on the high seas. The teeth and jaws of sharks are sold as ornaments and souvenirs. Small sharks are used as baits, they said.
Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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