'Cruel, wasteful': Dakar port a hotspot for illegal shark fins
Researchers said 41 of 130 vessels visited Dakar landed fins, underscoring a lucrative trade that helps drive shark declines.
- On Thursday, the London-based Environmental Justice Foundation NGO released a report detailing how Chinese and Taiwanese longline tuna vessels repeatedly land illegal shark fins in Dakar, one of Africa's busiest fishing ports.
- Finning—Removing fins and discarding the remaining carcass—boosts vessel profitability despite being largely prohibited by international conventions. Global shark populations have plummeted 71% since 1970 due to industrial fishing.
- Researchers interviewed 124 fishers, finding 41 vessels participated in finning, with 24 landing fins in Dakar. EJF head of ocean research Callum Nolan said the actual scale is likely "higher" given incomplete interview data.
- An estimated 80–101 million sharks die annually due to fishing activities. EJF CEO Steve Trent warned sharks are "fundamentally important for the ecological integrity of our oceans" as apex predators regulating marine ecosystems.
- Researchers advocate for a "fins naturally attached" global policy requiring fins remain on carcasses during landing to simplify inspections. Iris Ziegler, head of fisheries policies at German marine NGO DSM, said "if we lose the sharks, we lose our oceans.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Along the coast of West Africa, a fisherman aboard a Chinese tuna shark cuts the fins of a live shark before throwing it back to the sea, where it will end up suffocated. These valuable fins will be unloaded at the port of Dhar before being sent to Asia to be served in soups, a refined delicacies.
Malay Mail
AlKhaleej TodayIllegal shark fins flood Senegal port as Chinese vessels flout bans, conservationists alarmed
DAKAR, July 17 — In the high seas off west Africa, a fisherman on a Chinese longline tuna vessel cuts the fins off a live shark before throwing it back in the water to suffocate and drown.Its lucrative appendages will be landed at the port of Dakar before being shipped onward to Asia for use in shark fin soup, a delicacy in certain countries, or traditional medicine.Finning, the practice of removing fins and casting the rest of the shark overboa…
Taiwan implicated in illegal shark fin trade
In the high seas off west Africa, a fisherman on a Chinese longline tuna vessel cuts the fins off a live shark before throwing it back in the water to suffocate and drown.Its lucrative appendages will be landed at the port of Dakar before being shipped onward to Asia for use in shark fin soup, a del
Fins are highly valued in some Asian markets, where they are used to prepare shark fin soup, considered a luxury dish.
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