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Police in Panama have seized more than six tonnes of illegally traded shark fins, reportedly destined for the Asian markets. Five people have been arrested in conjunction with the seizure.
Shark fins can fetch as much as US$1,000 per kilo in a black-market industry reportedly worth up to half a billion US dollars a year, but which is devastating to shark populations worldwide. It is estimated that more than 100 million sharks are killed by humans each year.
In many cases, sharks have their fins removed and are thrown back into the ocean alive, where, unable to swim, they slowly suffocate.
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The fins are highly prized for their use in shark fin soup, often used in traditional formal banquets, and believed by some to have restorative properties, including a cure for impotence. There is no scientific evidence supporting any of the claims.
Panamanian authorities reported that the fins were due to be exported to a Chinese citizen who had financed the operation. Panama’s Attorney General Javier Caraballo said that the fins, seized in Panama’s Capira district, approximately 60 km southwest of Panama City, were ‘already dehydrated and ready to be exported.’
An illegally-owned handgun and bank transfer documents were also seized by police during the operation, which took place a t a storage centre used for packing the fins.
The five suspects will be charged with ‘undermining security and the environment.’
In November 2022, Panama hosted the 19th annual meeting of the Convention on Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). during the meeting, 60 more species of shark were given protected status – more than double the previous tally – with all species of requiem sharks, all species of hammerhead sharks, and all guitarfish listed on CITES Appendix II following the meeting.
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