CAIRO: Egypt's Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Agency (HEPCA) reported in late May that Yemeni fishing boats were harvesting shark fins in the Red Sea. The report has sparked the ire among activists and animal advocates across the globe, even more so after HEPCA had launched a campaign against French super-grocer Carrefour to remove shark meat from its shelves in Egypt. That campaign was successful, but now with proof of shark slaughter in the Red Sea, HEPCA is again fighting an uphill battle, but they are confident that through concerted action, the situation can change, said Ahmed El Droubi. “The boats [were] observed and documented, videos and photos, of the boat's activity,” Droubi began. “It is obvious that their objective is sharks by the fishing methods they use. The use of large barrels on the line is to keep the sharks afloat.” Droubi said HEPCA is closely monitoring the situation in the Red Sea, which is already facing a number of marine life issues due to poor conservation and pollution in the area. He said that sharks are apex predators in the ocean and “play a vital role in keeping the ecosystem in check. “The loss or dramatic decrease in the number of sharks will have dire consequences on the environment of the Red Sea,” he added. According to previous HEPCA reporting, dolphins and other larger marine animals have begun to migrate farther south in the Red Sea due to continued degradation of their inhabitable environment. Waste is often dumped into the waters surrounding resort hotels and oil continues to seep into the sea on a daily basis due to poor upkeep of oil rigs. Thomas Jones, an American environmental activist, said that the Red Sea is “facing a major challenge to remain sustainable and if no action is taken, more fishing and pollution will see the eco-systems die.” According to HEPCA, the Egyptian government has taken an interest in the Yemeni fishing boat, but over the past month no further information has been made available. According to other reports on the finning, the Yemeni boat is selling the fins to far away destinations such as Japan for what Droubi said was the “growing appetite for shark fin soup.” Can these sort of practices be stopped. Droubi said that a number of steps need to be taken, including “collaboration of different members of the community to report and monitor and lobby for action is the only way to insure long-term application of conservation laws. In this case everyone from tour operators, NGOs and government officials have had an open communication line to try to cease this vile activity.” Time will tell if action will stop the slaughter of marine life or if the world will continue to look, cringe and do nothing. BM
