Marshall Islands "They Be Burning Shark Boats!"

50 sharks. That's all it took for a Hong Kong fishing company to receive the following from the Marshall Islands who recently declared all of their waters a Shark Sanctuary:

1. One burned boat (TBA)

2. $120,000 fine

3. Permanent banning from the Marshall Islands

A long line fishing boat has been fined 120,000 US dollars and banned from fishing in Marshall Islands water for violating the country’s ban on shark finning.

The Marine Resources Authority Director Glen Joseph says the shark fins and skins confiscated from the vessel that fished under the aegis of the Marshall Islands Fishing Venture will be publicly burned in the near future.

Marshall Islands Fishing Venture is part of the Hong Kong-based Luen Thai Enterprises, which operates long line fishing operations in Majuro and other parts of Micronesia to export sashimi to markets in Japan and the United States.

Shark fins and skins from an estimated 50 sharks were discovered on board the long liner during a regional fisheries surveillance enforcement program in February.

Mr Joseph says they will not relicense the vessel to fish in Marshall Islands waters.

He says the message they want to get out to anyone operating in Marshall Islands waters is that they are serious (about the shark ban), and it is the law.

Meanwhile, Marshall Islands Fishing Venture manager Derrick Wang says it regrets the actions taken by the captain of this particular vessel, and appropriate actions have been taken to ensure future incidents with this vessel and other vessels under of it will not happen.

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Marshall Islands - No Shark For You!

If you want to commercially harvest sharks one of the last places you want to be doing it these days is the Marshall Islands.

Trust us.

Some great enforcement news to close out the week with:

 "Last month, MIMRA levied and received a $125,000 fine against the Japanese transshipment vessel Satsuma, the first fine issued under the PL2011-63, Fisheries Amendment Act of 2011 that went into force late last year."

“It is illegal to have sharks on board,” said MIMRA Director Glen Joseph. MIMRA began enforcing the ban on sharks and shark fins late last year, initially confiscating gear but not issuing fines. Instead, enforcement officers put commercial fishermen — and others — on notice that they faced future fines if they continue to bring shark and shark products through the RMI. An unannounced raid at the Marshall Islands Fishing Venture late last year resulted in the boarding of many vessels and confiscation of sharks and shark fishing gear, said MIMRA enforcement officer Marcella Tarkwon."

Complete story here thanks to the Shark Defender blog for the find.