Chinese Trawlers Leaving Behind Headless and Finless Sharks Along Western Cape


Chinese Trawlers Leaving Behind Headless and Finless Sharks Along Western Cape This is an issue that has been shaking the decade: the unethical fishing of sharks by Chinese trawlers for its delicacy, the shark’s fin soup. In many countries, shark’s fin soup has been banned in many restaurants.

I remember during the popularity of shark’s fin soup in Singapore during the 2000s, many organizations were crying out to the public to boycott the dish. Videos of the sharks being caught then have their fins and heads cut off before being tossed back into the ocean to drown and die were shown in schools, on the news and in certain restaurants. Humanitarians were encouraging the ban of shark’s fin soup all over the world. However, countries such as China still consider shark’s fin soup a delicacy.

Recently, The Ocean Planet, a global environmental organization dedicated to protecting the ocean posted disturbing images of sharks being left out on the beaches to die. The heads and fins of the sharks were sawed off. The Ocean Planet blamed Chinese Trawlers in the photos’ caption, mentioning that this is a common sight across African coastlines. The organization also said that harvesting ships are near to process the fish and sharks fin – with the trawlers coming into protected waters to source for the sharks in the dark and escaping before light.

You may view the Facebook post by The Ocean Planet here.