Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) customs officials seized a record haul of dried shark fin weighing over 26 tonnes, exposing a thriving demand for illegal wildlife products in the region. 

The consignment sent from Ecuador in two containers has an estimated market value of 1.1 million U.S. dollars was inspected at the Kwai Chung Customhouse Cargo Examination Compound on April 28 and May 4.

In order to evade inspection, smugglers labeled the consignment as dried fish. "Both cases also broke the past record of similar cases counted in a single case by weight and value," said a statement released by the Hong Kong Customs on Wednesday.

World's largest trading center for shark fins, city's law enforcement agencies seized around 11.5 tonnes of shark fins last year. Between 2014 and 2017, more than 23 such consignments were intercepted.

More than 31,000 thresher sharks and 7,500 silky sharks would have been slaughtered to constitute the two consignments, officials estimated. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has placed thresher sharks and silky sharks under the vulnerable and nearly threatened category, respectively.

"It's shocking to see such a big smuggling case in the city," said Senior Conservation Officer Gloria Lai Pui-yin at WWF-Hong Kong. "The two species of shark in the recent seizures are both threatened species and listed on Appendix II of CITES, meaning that the international trade of these fins is controlled."

Globally, more than 100 million sharks are slaughtered annually, mostly for shark fin soup, a popular delicacy, and a status symbol in many parts of southeast Asian countries. HKSAR imported 9,069 tonnes of shark fins annually between 2000 and 2016. Malaysia and Singapore are also significant consumers of shark fin.

Massive awareness drives have resulted in a declining trend in demand for shark fin soup. But "there is still strong cultural value placed on consuming shark fin, particularly at weddings, business events and family gatherings like the upcoming Mother's Day," added Gloria Lai Pui-yin.

Lured by the high price, fishers indulge in catching the most endangered species of sharks. A hammerhead shark's fin sells for about 100 U.S dollars per kilogram in the illegal market.

The brutal trade involves chopping off the fins of sharks instead of bringing their whole body to the market. After removing the fins, mutilated sharks, which are still alive, are thrown back into the sea. With fins removed, they are unable to swim and die of hunger or killed by other predators.

Many conservationists fear such a massive killing of sharks could disturb the ecological balance of oceans, depriving it of crucial predators. They are also demanding harsh punishments for those involved in the trade. 

"Such a gigantic haul of 26 tonnes clearly indicates the presence of organized crime within the Hong Kong wildlife trade. I urge the Hong Kong government to place its wildlife laws under its organized and serious crime laws as soon as possible in order to save thresher and silky sharks from extinction," Alex Hofford, an independent, wildlife campaigner, told CGTN. "In addition, all the big restaurant groups in Hong Kong, such as Paramount Restaurant Group, need to stop selling shark fin immediately."

A 57-year-old suspect, arrested on April 29 in connection with the record shark fin seizure, has since been released on bail.

(Cover: Dried shark fin consignment seized in Hong Kong. /Hong Kong Customs)