Dozens of decapitated baby sharks found dumped on Cape Town beach, Chinese poachers suspected
Authorities in South Africa have launched an investigation after dozens of decapitated baby sharks were found dumped on a beach in the port city of Cape Town. The baby deepwater sharks were discovered in the city's Strandfontein Beach over the weekend after inspectors from the Cape of Good Hope SPCA responded to a call from law enforcement and other City of Cape Town officials.
When they reached the scene, they found that all of the sharks had their heads, dorsal fins, and tails severed. It is suspected that they may have been killed by poachers as shark fins fetch a high price on the black market. Shark fins are also delicacies in several countries across the world.
Pictures of the dismembered sharks were shared by activist Yusuf Abramjee on Twitter, with many suggesting that the Chinese may have played a role. "Chinese trawlers off the South African coast are decimating the fish and shark population and the government does absolutely nothing to curb it," one user wrote.
Another asked Greta Thunberg to intervene and posted, "Greta please have a chat with the Chinese. They ruin our South African coastal waters and while you unto this please tell us about bribes along their way."
The Cape of Good Hope SPCA has said that they are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, though other officials have admitted there is a possibility that now laws had been broken. Wayne Day, a spokesman for Cape Town City Law Enforcement, told television station eNCA that the authorities are still unsure how the dismembered sharks wound up on the beach but conceded they could have been fished legally by a commercial boat or fisherman.
"It's very difficult to say, this type of fish can be fished legally," he said when asked if poachers had been involved in the incident.
"It could be that whoever the responsible people were had harvested these fish for the fins and then for some reason didn't need the rest of the fish and then just dumped it illegally, it could be as simple as that. Or it could be a case of illegal fishing, we just don't know," he added.