Shark fins land Indonesians in US court

TEN Indonesian fishermen arrested in Hawaii are accused of trying to smuggle nearly 1,000 shark fins from the United States to Indonesia.

They had been working on a Japanese-flagged boat and were headed home via Honolulu when airport security workers found shark fins in their luggage last week, according to court documents.

At least 962 shark fins were found in 13 pieces of luggage. Some were from oceanic whitetip sharks, officials said.

It’s against US law to engage in international trade of a protected species without a permit. It’s also illegal to possess, sell or distribute shark fins in Hawaii, which was the first US state to ban the pricey delicacy often used in soups.

The luggage included cardboard boxes, backpacks and suitcases. “Fins were bundled together, and some were wrapped in foil. Some fins were sealed into clear and opaque bags, such as empty bags of rice, that obscured the contents, and those bags were, in turn, sealed within other opaque bags, apparently to contain odor or otherwise obscure the contents,” a complaint filed in court said.

During questioning, one of the fishermen told authorities that while at sea, they cut fins off live sharks and threw the bodies back. Another fisherman said he ate sharks on the boat and cut off the fins, according to court documents, and that he didn’t want dead sharks to go to waste.

Authorities estimate that the 89 kilograms of seized fins have a street value of between US$6,695 and US$57,850.

A judge allowed them to be released on US$10,000 unsecured bonds, each. US Magistrate Judge Kevin Chang explained to them that they won’t have to pay any of the US$10,000 if they stay out of trouble.