Endangered sharks and rays are sold in Belém – 08/27/2023 – Environment

At 3:30 am, around the Ver-O-Peso market, in Belém, dozens of fishermen are still eager to sell their wares. “I sell it for R$10 a kilo, would you like it?” asks one of them.

The “bargain” of the time is the dogfish or shark. Unlike other fish exposed there, these have their heads and fins severed. “This one is known as a baby shark,” says the seller. “Meat is good for making moqueca”, he continues.

A genetic sequencing analysis of the fish on offer reveals that it is a species known as the olive or soft dogfish (carcharhinus porosus), considered critically endangered in the ICMBio (Chico Mendes Institute of Biodiversity) Fauna Extinction Risk Assessment.

Dogfish consumption in Brazil is high, around 17 tons per year, but the population is unaware that this fishing involves illegal practices and threatens the animals. From a commercial point of view, it is the so-called by-products or parts of the fish that attract the most interest.

The fins, that is, the animal’s fins, are valuable in the global market, especially in Asia, with prices that reach US$ 1,000 per kilo (about R$ 4,790). On the other side of the world, they are used in the preparation of soups and also in traditional medicine.

“Shark fishing is mainly done through the so-called ‘bycatch’, which is when you aim for one type of fishing and end up catching other animals”, explains Alberto Akama, an ichthyologist (fish scholar) and researcher at the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi.

It is in this incidental way that Brazil authorizes shark fishing, but in situations where the captured species is threatened with extinction, the activity becomes prohibited. Thus, if a vessel that is authorized, for example, to fish for tuna ends up catching a shark of a species listed as vulnerable, it has to release the animal.

In practice, however, once captured, endangered sharks end up not being returned to the sea, show apprehensions by inspection bodies and also studies that identify the species sold.

A Sheet, during a visit to Ver-o-Peso in May, collected 11 samples of fish sold as dogfish or similar. Of these, 9 were critically endangered species, according to an analysis carried out in the laboratory at the request of the report.

To avoid punishment and maximize profits, vessels often bring these fish to shore without the head —which makes it difficult to identify the species— and without the fins —which suggests that this valuable part has already been directed to the foreign market.

This “cleaning” is also irregular. Ordinance of the Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Fisheries, from 2012, requires that the animals be landed with all their parts. The document also prohibits “finning”, which consists of removing the fins of rays and sharks and discarding the rest of the body, which has less commercial value.

The increase in the occurrence of apprehensions, in the wake of the intensification of inspection measures, reveals that the demand for these animals is on the rise.

In June of this year, a joint action by the Federal Police and Ibama seized more than 28 tons of shark fins in Santa Catarina.

And, in July, Segup (Secretary of Public Security and Social Defense) of Pará found around BRL 400,000 in irregular fish, in addition to more than 50 kg of shark fins valued at BRL 239,000. The folder claims to have invested in 84 new vessels in the last four years to monitor environmental crimes.

According to the authorities, the goods were destined for Asia.

In addition to dogfish, the report identified at Ver-O-Peso, the largest market in the Amazon, individuals of hammerhead sharks (of the genus sphyrna) It is carcharhinus leucasspecies considered, respectively, as critically endangered and vulnerable.

As information on species that occur off the coast of Brazil and their conservation status is scarce (there is only data for 31 of the 62 species assessed by ICMBio), many endangered sharks and rays may be suffering from illegal fishing.

“About 60% of reef shark and ray species are today threatened with extinction, so we really see a very threatening scenario”, says biologist Luiza Baruch, who recently concluded her master’s thesis on ethnobiological knowledge (which combines data from local communities with biology) on one type of ray, the sawfish or swordfish (Pristis pristis It is Pristis pectinata), on the coast of Pará.

Sharks and rays are collectively called elasmobranchs. Most species are viviparous (offspring are born directly from the womb) and take a long time to reach sexual maturity.

As they are top predators, their presence is essential to maintain the balance of ecosystems, but populations around the world are in decline. “With recent catches, they don’t have a chance to reproduce,” explains Baruch.

Ibama claims that it has acted to prevent the illegal trade of sharks and rays in the country. ICMBio, on the other hand, says that it carries out inspections in the marine UCs (conservation units), but that “the majority of environmental offenses occur in the oceans outside the limits and jurisdiction of the UCs”.

Responsible for managing the Ver-O-Peso market, the City Hall of Belém said that it is up to the state government to monitor what is sold there. The Secretary of Public Security and Defense of Pará said that it has invested in combating and monitoring environmental crimes.

The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture, also sought, says it is updating current regulations to curb illegal, unreported and unreported fishing.

Cases such as the sawfish, classified as critically endangered, show the risks of illegal trade. A survey carried out by biologist Patrícia Charvet, from the Federal University of Ceará, and colleagues identified a decline of around 87% of the population.

Baruch, who also studies the sawfish, says that it is believed that it may currently be restricted to the north coast of Brazil, between Amapá and Maranhão, whereas, in the past, it was found along the entire coast. “But even with restriction [de pesca]it is increasingly rare to see the animal”, he points out.

The rostrum —saw or katana— of this species is highly coveted, sold for around R$5,000, while the isolated teeth reach R$50 to R$100 each. The piece is considered an amulet in the Asian market, while the isolated teeth are used as spurs in cockfights.

It is possible to find videos on the internet of fishermen attacking live sawfish with a hatchet to remove the saw.

“Here in the north of the country we have the greatest biodiversity in terms of fish. Unfortunately, in terms of inspection, there is still a vacuum, there is a lack of information on species and researchers. The entire Legal Amazon has fewer doctors than USP [Universidade de São Paulo]”, laments Akama.

Environmental education also plays a fundamental role in reversing this situation. In the resex (extractive reserves) in the region, fishermen are instructed to recognize and help protect endangered species. In general, however, they still avoid talking about the sightings.

“We can create a protected area, but if the community doesn’t understand the importance of that region for a particular animal, what guidelines it should have and what that implies, it won’t make any difference in terms of conservation”, concludes Charvet.

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Shark fishing in Brazil in numbers

• 17 tons per year of shark meat are consumed in Brazil
• More than 28 tons of fins were seized only in June 2023
• 50% of the species of northern marine sharks and rays are at some degree of threat
• 9 out of 11 samples of shark collected by Sheet at the Ver-O-Peso market (Belém) were critically endangered species
• 2,000 vessels operate in the north of the country, according to the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture
• Asia is the main destination illegal fishing of animals or parts of animals in the Amazon

Sources: ICMBio, Ibama, Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture and Sea Shepherd Brazil

_{The report was carried out with the support of the Earth Journalism Network.}