Shark finning criminals caught in Ecuador

This video says about itself:

Ecuador Seizes Huge Illegal Shark Fin Haul

29 May 2015

Police in Ecuador have seized around 200,000 sharks fins which were about to be illegally exported to Asia. The fins – often used to make soup – were discovered after raids on nine locations in the port city of Manta.

Six people, including a Chinese national, have been arrested on charges of damaging wildlife. Interior Minister Jose Serrano said … the authorities had “dealt a major blow to an international network that trafficked shark fins“. “We must end these criminal networks that are only interested in their own economic interests and are destroying the eco-system.”

Shark fishing is prohibited in Ecuador and they cannot be sold unless they have been accidentally caught in fishing nets.

From teleSUR TV in Venezuela:

Ecuador Seizes 200,000 Shark Fins in Anti-Trafficking Sting

Ecuadorian authorities say at least 300,000 sharks were killed in one of the most egregious environmental crimes reported in the country in years.

Ecuador seized around 200,000 shark fins and arrested three suspected traffickers at the country’s main fishing port, the government said Wednesday. “We must put an end to these criminal networks that only focus on their economic interests, which has resulted in the destruction of entire ecosystems,” Ecuador’s interior minister, Jose Serrano, stated via his Twitter account. Ecuadorian authorities believe that at least 300,000 sharks were killed by the traffickers, in one of the most egregious environmental crimes reported in the country in years.

WildAid, an organization that seeks to reduce demand for wildlife products, estimates that nearly 100 million sharks are killed every year with fins from up to 73 million used for shark fin soup, primarily to supply the market in mainland China. Shark fins are coveted in Asia for medicinal and cooking purposes. A pair of shark fins can sell for as much as US$700 per kg in Asia. However, sales of shark fins used in soup have dropped 50 to 70 percent in China in according 2014 study carried out by WildAid. The practice of shark finning is banned in Ecuador.