See endangered sharks in Chinese boat seized by Ecuador

Authorities in Ecuador have detained the crew of a Chinese
fishing boat suspected to have caught endangered sharks in the Galapagos
Islands.

The Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999 was found Sunday in the archipelago,
which is a marine reserve, carrying 300 tonnes of fish.

Most of the catch was sharks, including protected species
such as hammerheads.

About 20 crew members face up to three years in prison if
found guilty of trafficking protected species.

The Galapagos archipelago is an UNESCO world heritage site
because of the rich bio-diversity found in the area, BBC said.

Ecuador’s environmental minister Tarsicio Granizo said on
Tuesday that a judge on the island of San Cristobal had ordered the crew to be
held in custody pending court proceedings.

“Not necessarily all of the catch came from the marine
reserve, but the fact that it included young sharks, even baby sharks,
indicates that they could have been caught inside the reserve,” the
minister was quoted as saying by AFP news agency.

Walter Bustos, the director of the Galapagos National Park,
told Ecuadorian newspaper El Universo that the boat was the largest vessel
captured inside the marine reserve.

In 2015 Ecuadorian police seized about 200,000 shark fins
that were set to be exported to Asia.

Shark fin is considered a delicacy in Chinese cuisine, and
is usually served as a soup at banquets. Critics say demand for fins is wiping
out endangered species and fuelling illegal trafficking.