Close-up of a shop in Des Voeux Road, West, Hong Kong, buying and selling Shark fins products
Hong Kong has long been known as the center of the global trade in shark fins and a bustling market for a huge range of wildlife products. But over the past 10 years, this special administrative region of China has reduced consumption of shark fin soup and increased enforcement of shark and ray trade restrictions under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)—key advancements to help conserve and manage these species, many of which have long been misunderstood predators when in fact humans have been preying upon them unchecked for decades. In 2018, the Hong Kong government passed the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants (Amendment) Bill 2017, which raised maximum fines and prison sentences for those convicted of illegally selling or buying products from any species listed on Appendix II of CITES, including the 20 commercially important species of sharks and rays. Species listed on Appendix II can be traded internationally only if the trade is sustainable and does not cause detriment to the animal in the wild.
Size: 5616px × 3744px
Location: Chiap Heng Cheng (HK) Ltd, Wing Lok St W 215 - Hong Kong
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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