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Large numbers of sharks are being killed off the coast of Angola for their fins to be sold to China. The complaint came from the environmental organization EcoAngola and prompted the Angolan authorities to announce an investigation this Wednesday.
Last week, EcoAngola published on its social networks, with videos and images of dead sharks, without fins, rotting on the beach, in the municipality of Cacuaco, on the outskirts of Luanda, and in Benguela, and called for an investigation.
The first complaint, according to the publication made by the organization, dates from September 12, when an anonymous call was received informing that rays and sharks were being cut to remove their fins, thus throwing the fish away. A few days later, some videos and photographs were sent to prove the complaint.
PUBLIC COMPLAINT
We have already informed the competent authorities about this situation. We hope that a national statement will be issued and that an investigation will be carried out by the entity that investigates environmental crimes. pic.twitter.com/oRFX0ERFub
– EcoAngola ?????? (@EcoAngola) September 17, 2020
“It turned out that many sharks were actually being caught on purpose and just to remove their fins,” confirmed the Lusa agency Erica Tavares, executive director of EcoAngola, an organization that has been in business for a year.
According to reports received by the organization, Chinese citizens are buying shark fins, and the number of sharks that have died cannot be determined.
“We know that this is an exotic product in Asia, which has been made from shark fin soup, because it is believed to have medicinal benefits, aphrodisiac powers,” said Erica Tavares.
However, underlines the executive director of the NGO à Lusa, the medicinal benefits of shark fin “are a myth” that “is not scientifically proven.” In addition, continues the ecologist, “this amount of overfishing of sharks can cause a great imbalance in marine flora and fauna, because sharks are predators and manage to control populations of other types of species.”
This Wednesday, the Institute of Biodiversity and Conservation Area confirmed to Lusa that an investigation is being carried out to exterminate sharks in the country.
The director of this body, which is part of the Angolan Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Environment, confirmed the complaint made by EcoAngola and admitted that the Angolan authorities had suspected this type of practice for some time, however, they had not yet received no complaint. despite the fact that several arrests were made at the Luanda airport of “people who had large boxes and bags of shark fins.”
“We knew that some Asian citizens, mainly Chinese, were involved, and this complaint, at this time, confirmed what we were predicting,” admitted Albertina Nzuzi, director of the Institute of Biodiversity and Conservation Area.
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