Wildlife

Illegal Shark Fin Harvesting - Brazil

Federal authorities in Brazil seized more than 63,200 pounds (28,700 kilograms) of shark fins on Monday (June 19) in what may be the world's largest-ever confiscations of illegal shark fins, according to officials at Ibama, a federal agency under Brazil's Ministry of the Environment.

Shark finning is the practice of cutting off a live shark's fin and, usually, throwing the rest of the shark back into the ocean. These fins are sold mostly to Asian countries, where they are used in traditional Chinese medicine or served as a delicacy in shark fin soup, and can fetch up to $591 per kilogram ($1,313 per pound) in the market. Though shark fishing is currently banned across Brazil, some fishers still illegally catch these apex predators in certain areas, Ibama officials said.

End of Whaling in Iceland?

Iceland’s government announced it is suspending this year’s whale hunt in the North Atlantic until at least the end of August because it may violate the main goals of the country’s Animal Welfare Act. The move follows an outcry over video clips that document a whale’s agony after it was hunted and harpooned for five hours.

The license of Iceland’s lone remaining whaling company, Hvalur, expires this year, which could mean the hunt that goes back for centuries could be finally coming to an end. Demand for whale meat has plummeted in recent years, while whale-watching tours have thrived.