International issue surfaces in Louisiana waters – Bayou State on the forefront of shark-finning debate

Earlier this month, the Bayou State found itself on the forefront of an international issue. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Enforcement Division agents collaborated on, perhaps, the largest seizure of illegal shark fins in history.

Responding to a complaint, LDWF’s Sgt. Adam Young and Senior Agent Villere Reggio stopped the Lady Lyanna near Venice and found 11 whole sharks on deck and 12 large sacks containing shark fins hidden in a bow compartment.

While the remains of the sharks whose fins were stowed in bags were not found on the boat, agents estimate the 2,073 individual fins represent an additional 518 sharks. So, the two fishermen’s possession of 529 sharks surpassed Louisiana’s daily commercial limit of 33 sharks per vessel by 496 carcasses.

Exceeding the daily commercial limit of sharks and shark finning each bring up to a $350 fine and up to 60 days in jail. Intentional concealment of illegal fish or game carries a fine up to $950 and up to 120 days in jail.

LDWF agents are continuing their investigation into this case and more penalties could be pending including civil restitution for the value of the illegally taken sharks. The Buras, La., and Dallas, Texas residents face up to $26,450 in civil restitution penalties based off of an estimated value of $50 per shark.

Finning is an illegal practice of removing the shark’s fins and then dumping the body—often still alive—overboard to die.

The most profitable part of the catch, the fin cartilage is used to make noodles for a traditional Asian soup. Served as a sign of affluence at weddings and business meals, a single bowl can cost $100 or more. In some cultures, the delicacy is believed to have health benefits, such as increasing appetite and improving the condition of diners’ kidneys, lungs and bones. However, these claims have yet to be verified. In fact, the mercury level found in sharks may be higher than that of other fish.

Still, the dish’s popularity has risen in recent years due to the increased prosperity of China and other countries in the Far East. According to some estimates, the demand shark fins is responsible for the death of 26 million and 73 million sharks annually. Besides the sharks harvested, millions of others die each year when they are caught accidentally in gear targeting other species. The effects of this overfishing have been so detrimental to some ecosystems that the shark fin trade is now illegal in Hawaii, California, Washington and Oregon.

While most people affiliate Louisiana more with swamp predators than sea monsters, Louisiana waters are home to bull, blacktip, lemon, nurse, spinner, Atlantic sharpnose and bonnethead sharks. Offshore species include hammerhead, tiger, blue and mako sharks.

According to LDWF, Louisiana has “robust commercial fishery” of large coastal sharks; landings average approximately 60% of the federally established quota for the Gulf of Mexico. There is a very minor commercial fishery for bonnethead, Atlantic sharpnose, blacknose and finetooth sharks, and a fair amount of recreational fishing for sharks from the beach in Louisiana as well as offshore for species such as shortfin mako.

While finning is illegal in Louisiana, fishermen may legally sell intact sharks to a dockside dealer, who decides whether to use the whole shark or just the fins.

Typically, Louisiana dealers pay around $15 a pound for fins. Shark Savers, a website devoted to saving the shark and ray population, says the price of fins on the global market averages about $40 per pound but may reach as much a $450 depending on species. So, it’s no wonder the lucrative venture has attracted the attention of organized crime.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 2010 report, most violations of the 2000 Shark Finning Prohibition Act were detected, investigated, and prosecuted in the Southeast, Alaska, and Pacific Islands. And, LDWF reports the April bust is an isolated incident. The department hopes its prominence and publicity of the cases will dissuade other individuals from fishing for fast money in Louisiana waters.