Often sharks from both Digha and Kakdwip are sent to various top hotels in the state for the preparation of shark fin soup
A shark in a market in Digha harbour. Photo: Jayanta Basu An investigation carried out by Down to Earth (DTE) shows that the killing of sharks and trade in their body parts is rampant in eastern India, including West Bengal.
This is despite the fact that the region does not account for most seizures that have taken place in India over the last decade, according to a recent analysis.
Netted in illegal wildlife trade: Sharks of India was released by global wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC and WWF-India on March 14, 2024.
It found that almost 16,000 kg of shark fins were seized between January 2010 and December 2022, along with significant volumes of shark cartilage (sharks are cartilaginous fish) and teeth. The figures quoted in the study are based on credible information, including those available in public domain.
The probe by DTE, on the other hand, also found that northern West Bengal and adjoining parts of Northeast India are major transit routes for the trafficking of shark body parts, along with other wildlife products in demand globally.
Investigation carried out by this reporter found that though occasional baby shark kills and trade happens in areas like Namkhana village and Kakdwip subdivision within the South 24 Parganas district, the practice is much more rampant along the coast of Digha, a coastal resort town within Purba Medinipur district.
A rough estimate based on inputs provided by experts showed that sharks, weighing between 1,500 kg and 6,000 kg on average, are being killed and trafficked from Digha every month. Most of these shark body parts are sent to southern states, particularly Kerala.
“Fishers in deep sea trawlers often catch sharks, on average at least 7-15 days during a month. Most of the sharks caught weigh about 200 kg and are auctioned for Rs 40,000-50,000. Sometimes, more than two sharks are caught in a day and auctioned,” said a local fisherman.
“The sharks and other aquatic animals caught illegally are generally kept away from the gaze of officials. But it is unlikely that they do not know about it. Once the sharks are sold, they are skinned, treated with salt and then sent outside, mainly by train, to Kerala where shark fins are in great demand,” said another person in the know of the trade.
“Often sharks from both Digha and Kakdwip are sent to various top hotels in the state for the preparation of shark fin soup,” informed another.
The TRAFFIC-WWF report had stated:
Tamil Nadu accounted for nearly 65 per cent of the shark seizure incidents, followed by other states such as Karnataka, Gujarat, Kerala, and Maharashtra.
“The report is based only on data about the official seizures; the actual scale of the trade is expected to be 6 to 8 times higher,” Shekhar Kumar Niraj, former country head of TRAFFIC India and chief wildlife warden of Tamil Nadu, had told this reporter.
The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) in Kolkata and the wildlife wing of the West Bengal Forest Department do not seem to know much about the trafficking.
“We are not aware about the practice. But we will definitely inquire now as you have pointed out the issue,” said a senior state forest department official.
“We know that shark trading is occasionally happening in areas like Digha and also along the Odisha coast. But there have not been many seizures,” informed a senior official from WCCB, which monitors wildlife-related crimes across eastern and Northeast India.
“It is a fact that shark body parts, originating in the southern states, often get trafficked outside the country mainly through West Bengal and northeastern states like Manipur and Mizoram,” the official said.
“Many wildlife products, including shark body parts, are in high demand in China. Siliguri is the main transit point for Nepal, en route to China. Many such products also get trafficked to Myanmar through Manipur and Mizoram and from thence to east and southeast Asia,” the official added.
“It is a fact that Siliguri acts as a major transit for wildlife products, including sharks,” confirmed Niraj.
The TRAFFIC-WWF report stated that about 60 per cent of the confiscated items were meant for the international market, as it pointed out that “the confiscated products were destined for Singapore (24 per cent), Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (about 19 per cent), Sri Lanka (12 per cent), and mainland China (6.25 per cent)”. The destinations of the remaining 40 per cent were unknown.
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had banned shark finning in India’s territorial waters under its ‘Fins Naturally Attached’ policy in 2013.
In 2015, a blanket ban on shark fin trade was declared in India under the policy of the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992. However, most seizures happened in 2019; indicating that the rules hardly got implemented at the ground level.
The report did not specify any value linked to the shark seizures reported. However, according to experts, the transaction of the entire volume confiscated would have fetched around Rs 15 crore in the international market.
A closer look at the data showed that of the 17 seizures recorded during the period, 82 per cent involved shark fins weighing 15,839.5 kg in total, alongside 1,600 kg of cartilage and 2,445 teeth.
“The demand for shark fins and meat is a major driver of the global shark fishery. Shark fins are the most sought-after shark product and are used to make shark-fin soup, a delicacy in east Asian cuisine,” Merwyn Fernandes, associate director of TRAFFIC India, told DTE.
The expert pointed out that while shark meat gets consumed as food, the skin is used as leather. Shark liver oil is used as a lubricant and also in cosmetics. It is a source of vitamin A. Shark cartilage is used in preparation of medicines, while the jaws and teeth are used for making curios.
“Sharks are crucial to our ecosystem,” reminded the report. “Of 160 shark species reported in India, only 26 sharks and rays have been given the highest protection status under the amended Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972,” it added.
Dipankar Ghose, a senior expert of WWF-India, told DTE, “Illegal shark trade is a serious conservation threat to sharks, not just in India but globally.”
“On various coasts, illegal shark killing and trading gets embedded with local livelihoods. Hence, we need to explore social solutions to the problem alongside more regulatory stringency,” a senior WWF-India official told this correspondent recently.
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