Sharks at risk of extinction from fin trafficking and overfishing in northern Peru

Lima, Peru – Shark fin exports from Peru to China have grown exponentially since 2014 due to the high demand from markets such as Hong Kong (the largest importer and exporter of shark fins in the world).

Unfortunately, this situation has contributed to the illegal trade and trafficking of sharks that, according to the authorities, are imported from Ecuador and once they enter Peru, they go out to the Asian market as if they were Peruvian.

Alicia Kuroiwa, director of habitats and endangered species for the international marine conservation NGO Oceana in Peru, points out that Ecuadorian merchants would prefer to export their product to Peru, and not directly to Asia because the largest number of shipping companies is owned by Peruvians.

The specialist added that shark fins obtained illegally in Ecuador would pass through its neighbor to the south since they use the same channels and systems of drug trafficking.

Kuroiwa said there are closed season and quota systems for shark species fished in Peru, however, there is no control over what comes from Ecuador.
“In 2019 we imported approximately 150 tons or 120 tons of shark fins from Ecuador. Last year we imported more than 300 (tons),” said the director.

She said that would be the main problem that puts at risk the sustainability of the shark, a top predator that is essential for the health of the oceans.

Peru is the world’s third-largest exporter of shark fins, both legally and illegally sourced, with China and Japan being the largest consumers of shark products, including the fins that are consumed in soup.

After conducting research, Kuroiwa said that there are two reasons why Ecuador does not export directly to Peru.

They found out that the shipping companies that work in Ecuador do not want to transport the fins directly because ports are bigger in Peru. There are more shipping companies, so they can get out more easily.

Also, fin traffickers use well-known routes or channels that are already established for other purposes such as “drug trafficking or arms trafficking”, which also makes it easier to pass through Peru.

Peru is among the top ten-shark fin exporting countries in the world and the first exporter in the Americas of shark fins, according to Kuroiwa.
In 2020, two captured refrigerated trucks with 11 tons of shark meat were captured.

Among them are hammerhead sharks. All these species are restricted by CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), said the biologist.