Activists raise alarm after Hong Kong customs seize 880kg haul of banned shark fins
Wildlife campaigners say the discovery on a ship from Panama shows how fins from protected species are being hidden inside shipments of fins that are legal
Hong Kong customs seized a huge haul of banned shark fins on Tuesday in a bust that suggests the global trade is continuing apace despite major airlines recently banning shipments.
Endangered hammerhead shark fins weighing 880kg – the city’s second largest haul on record – were discovered on board a vessel arriving from Panama owned by cargo and logistics firm China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company, also known as Cosco, according to a government source.
The number of individual fins seized was not given but the haul on board the vessel was estimated to be worth around US$100,000.
On official shipping documents, provided by wildlife campaigners, the consignment was addressed to a company in Sheung Wan. Activists said the seizure provided more evidence that fins from shark species listed under international agreements were being concealed inside shipments of other, identical looking, shark fins that remained legal.
Transportation by ship made up 92 per cent of all Hong Kong shark fin imports – 5,717 tonnes – last year, according to government data.
Shark fin imports to Hong Kong dropped by 42 per cent between 2010 and 2015. During this period there was also a 72 per cent drop in imports by air, to 450 tonnes.
In February this year, Orient Overseas Container Line, the shipping giant owned by the family of former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa, announced it would stop carrying shark, whale and dolphin meat and products with immediate effect.
Local airlines HK Express, Cathay Pacific and Dragonair also recently announced they would halt all shipments of shark fins.
Last Sunday, shark fin activists and campaigners picketed one of the Hong Kong delivery depots of US logistics giant FedEx to urge it to follow other carriers and ban the transportation of shark fins.
Alex Hofford, wildlife campaigner at WildAid, said: “We are delighted that Hong Kong Agriculture and Fisheries Department and Custom have done such a great job in investigating and interdicting this record seizure of hammerhead shark fin into Hong Kong.
“But we are equally angry that COSCO, like FedEx, continues to facilitate what is clearly an illegal trade.
“This bust proves that no container shipping line or airline can ensure that outlawed fins are not being concealed inside shipments of other, identical looking, non-outlawed shark fins. As such we urge COSCO and FedEx to commit to a shark-free carriage policy immediately, in order to steer their trusted brands away from reputational risk and to protect sharks from extinction.”
Hong Kong’s biggest haul of fins came in December 2014, when 980.46kg was seized on a vessel arriving from Colombia.
