Investigation Reveals World’s Largest Systematic Slaughter of Sharks
Photo credit: Wikimedia
A Chinese processing plant by the name of China Wenzhou Yueqing Marine Organisms Health Protection Foods Co Ltd has been killing a minimum of 600 whale sharks each year. The processing plant, located in China’s PuQi township near Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, is the main focus of an investigation run by Hong Kong-based wildlife conservation Ngo WildLifeRisk.
The investigation took place between January 2010 and December 2013. The investigation revealed that the processing plant has been raking in enormous revenues from the killing of at least 600 whale sharks per year. The fins of the sharks are dried out and sold to restaurant owners, who hang them as decoration. The owners tie a red ribbon to the fins to let customers know they serve shark fin soup. The fins are usually displayed in the restaurant’s windows or reception areas.
The whale shark’s skin is sold to the bag trade as leather, while the stomach, lips and flesh are sold to restaurants as a food source. The real money however comes from the shark’s liver. Shark oil is extremely valuable and found in high quantities in the liver. The oil is used for Omega-3 health supplements as well as skin care products and lipstick. These items are being sold internationally and are in violation of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora or (CITES).
The story gets worse, as it’s not just whale sharks being targeted by these monsters. The general manager of the plant, Li Guang, states on camera that the factory also processes numerous amounts of great white and basking sharks. The investigation revealed that the oil collected from these sharks is sent to another facility on China’s Hainan Island, the Hainan Jiahua Marine Products Bio- Pharmaceutical Co Ltd. This facility is responsible for blending the shark oils together to be ready to be exported to the United States and Canada, which again, is in violation of CITES. Mr. Guang additionally admits to deliberately smuggling other whale shark parts, to be consumed by humans, such as meat and skin.
Paul Hilton and Alex Hofford of WildLifeRisk issued a joint statement calling for the end of the trade of the poor creatures. “We went to PuQi three times in the last three years, and on each occasion the scale of the slaughter was truly staggering. How these harmless creatures, these gentle giants of the deep, can be slaughtered on such an industrial scale is beyond belief- all for human vanity; lipsticks, face creams, health supplements, shark fin soup restaurants etc. We firmly believe the trade must stop, and it must stop now, or else these animals will eventually face extinction.”
Paul and Alex said it best, this trade must end now! For these beautiful creatures to be slaughtered just for our gain, be it cosmetically or for food, is truly disgusting. It’s up to us to be educated and to know the harm we are causing to the ocean ecosystem. Groups like WildLifeRisk can only do so much, it’s up to us to spread awareness and hopefully help put an end to the deplorable process of slaughtering these sharks for human gain.
Source: http://wildliferisk.org/press-release/ChinaWhaleSharks-WLR-Report-ENG.pdf
