Notwithstanding the endangered status of Shark species and the ban on its hunting, several fishermen continue to export the fish, which are trapped in their nets, to various destinations.
In 2013, the Ministry of Environment and Forests approved a policy that prohibits removal of fins of the shark. It also considers transportation of the shark as ‘hunting’ of Schedule-I species to prevent the trading involving the species. Locally known as ‘Sora’, at least 18 species of shark can be sighted on the East Coast, in which huge number of Sharks is being trapped in the gill nets along the coast of Visakhapatnam, Kakinada and Machilipatnam. A big shark, weighing above 50 kg, was trapped in a gill net of fishermen while they were catching tuna off the Machilipatnam coast this week. The shark fetched them around Rs. 3,500 during the auction at Gilakaladindi harbour, from where it has been exported to Chennai for processing.
“We do not cut off the fins of the shark, those accidently traps into our gill nets. We never intent to hunt the species,” fishermen who brought it ashore said.
Refusing to reveal their names, the fishermen added that there were several instances in which they witnessed trapping of the shark of the Machilipatnam coast. “In Chennai, certain section of people is involved in treating skin and fins of shark for various value-added processes,” Krishna University Biotechnology Associate Professor P.V. Brahmachari told The Hindu .
However, there was no vigil in place at the Gilakaladindi harbour to put check trading of shark.
