Kendrapara: The Indian Coast Guard seized a trawler carrying over 250 endangered baby sharks and arrested seven fishermen for poaching the marine species near Gahiramatha Marine Sanctuary in Kendrapara district off Odisha coast, an official said.
“We intercepted the trawler on the night of January 22 within the marine sanctuary and found around 250 dead Bull, Spot Tail and Hammerhead sharks from the its storage room,” said Bhutanath Mahato, Coast Guard Commandant of Paradip.
All the seven arrested fishermen were booked under the provisions of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, Mahato added.
The trade in shark fins, which are in high demand for culinary use in many countries of the Far East, has led to a surge in shark catches to the extent that the shark populations are now in danger.
Ms Kalinga