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🇺🇸 United States /Environment & Climate

Chinese ship caught with banned shark fins in Pacific Ocean

From CBS News · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency Outcome reported
  • Kiribati detained a Chinese vessel for illegally harvesting shark fins, a practice banned in much of the Pacific.
  • The ship was found with fins during a surveillance crackdown involving 11 Pacific island nations and assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard and an Australian military aircraft.
  • Shark finning has caused significant declines in shark populations, and illegal trade remains difficult to detect despite reduced demand in some areas.

A Chinese vessel was detained by Kiribati's maritime police this month for illegally harvesting shark fins, a practice that involves cutting fins off live sharks and discarding the carcasses. This act is banned across much of the Pacific Ocean but continues due to demand in East and Southeast Asia.

It was escorted back to Christmas Island for further investigation.

— Tom RedfernCommander of Kiribati's maritime police, describing the immediate action taken after the vessel's detention.

The detention occurred during a broad surveillance operation from August 3 to August 14, involving 11 Pacific island nations. While the U.S. Coast Guard and an Australian military aircraft provided assistance in some areas, Kiribati operated its own patrol boat. The Chinese ship, licensed to travel through Kiribati's waters, was escorted to Christmas Island for further investigation after inspectors discovered the banned shark fins onboard.

A Kiribati Police maritime boarding officer, not under a shiprider agreement, boarded and inspected it, finding that the vessel was breaching its condition of license by keeping and retaining shark fins onboard.

— Tom RedfernExplaining the specific violation found on the Chinese vessel.

Commander Tom Redfern of Kiribati's maritime police stated that a boarding officer found the vessel breaching its license conditions by retaining shark fins. Kiribati, which has an exclusive economic zone spanning 1.4 million square miles, has seen increased interest from Chinese state companies since switching diplomatic ties from Taiwan in 2019. The nation also hosts Chinese police, a move that has raised concerns for the United States.

massive declines

— Andrew ChinA fisheries researcher at Australia's James Cook University, describing the impact of shark finning on shark populations.

Shark finning has led to "massive declines" in shark numbers, according to Andrew Chin, a fisheries researcher at Australia's James Cook University. He noted that because the practice is now illegal, it is "really hard to detect." Research on shark fins sold in Hong Kong markets has indicated origins in the Pacific region. Demian Chapman, who led the research, mentioned that reduced demand in China and a ban on serving shark fin soup at government functions have contributed to a decrease in the trade, though illegal activity persists.

Because it is now illegal, if people are doing it, it is going to be hidden and really hard to detect.

— Andrew ChinCommenting on the challenges of detecting illegal shark finning activities.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CBS News. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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