The great white shark is the only extant species in the genus Carcharodon and the largest predatory fish in the world. Why are they called great white sharks? Great white sharks belong to the family Lamnidae, which also includes porbeagle sharks, salmon sharks and mako sharks, which are the fastest shark in the ocean. A type of mackerel […]
Tag: shark fins
10,000 shark fins worth over $11M seized in major wildlife trafficking bust in Peru
U.S. authorities have assisted the Peruvian government in seizing an estimated 10,000 individual shark fins destined for China — one of the largest wildlife trafficking operations in Latin American history. The bust, on Nov. 10 at an industrial port outside of Lima, led to the arrest of three men tied to a transnational criminal network […]
Illegal shark product trade evident in Australia and New Zealand
Research from the University of Adelaide’s School of Biological Sciences and Wildlife Crime Research Hub has highlighted evidence of shark products entering both Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand, including clear patterns in flows between the two countries. According to the study, published in Pacific Conservation Biology, the products identified were carried in personal luggage and postage, […]
No signs of slowdown in wildlife trafficking in 2024 as demand persists
Wildlife trafficking remains a pressing threat to the survival of countless species, with sharks, pangolins, rhinos, birds, big cats and others among the hardest hit. Mongabay’s extensive reporting aligns with the 2024 U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) World Wildlife Crime Report, which highlights these species as prime targets of a $20 billion per […]
Still on the menu: Shark fin trade in U.S. persists despite ban
The trade in shark fins is still underway in the United States, despite legislation making such activities illegal, an investigative report has found. Environmentalists say this indicates that officials need to do more to enforce the laws already in place to stamp out illegal activities and protect sharks, which are globally threatened with extinction. On […]
Recent research shows: More rare, endangered sharks are dying in the worldwide trade in shark fins than earlier feared.
The finning of sharks is not for the faint of heart. After hauling them aboard their vessels, the fishers cut off their fins, then toss them back into the ocean. Still alive, they sink to the bottom where they’re either eaten by other predators or die of suffocation. About 100 million sharks are believed to be […]