17 tons of shark fins seized in Brazil: Shark fins are worth $3,000 per kilo in illegal shark trafficking and threatening the shark populaion worlwide

 https://www.hksharkfoundation.org/

Shark finning is the practice of cutting the fins off sharks after they are caught and then throwing the trunk, or carcass, of the animal (usually still alive), back into the sea. Since up to 95% of a shark is meat of a lower value, the practice of shark finning saves space on boats for the more valuable fins. This means that shark finning is a wasteful practice compared with other kinds of fishing. For example, by comparison, when tuna are caught, nearly all of their bodies are used in some way.

Photo Credit: Receita Federal (Brazilian Federal Revenue Service)

Brazilian authorities have seized more than 17 tons of s hark finsdestined for Malaysia, with environmental officials estimating that approximately 5,700 sharks were killed to supply the shipment.

The seizure took place on October 27 at the Port of Itapoá in Santa Catarina, Brazil, where customs officials intercepted a shipping container falsely declared as carrying frozen sardines. During an inspection, authorities discovered bags filled with shark fins.

Brazil’s environmental agency, the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), identified fins belonging to blue sharks (Prionace glauca) and shortfin mako sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus), a species threatened with extinction.

Following the discovery, IBAMA imposed a R$50 million fine on the company involved in the attempted illegal export.

According to IBAMA, shark fins can sell for as much as $3,000 per kilogram in some Asian markets, reflecting the international demand that continues to threaten shark populations around the world.

The seizure also follows stricter regulations introduced by Brazil in March 2026 to oversee the international trade of blue sharks, including their export, import, and re-export.

Sharks play an essential role in maintaining healthy marine ecosystems, yet they continue to face significant threats from overfishing and commercial exploitation.

The seizure underscores the urgent need for stronger protections and enforcement to combat illegal shark trafficking and prevent thousands more sharks from being killed for their fins.

Once a year in autumn the smallest island Corvo, Portugal's Azores goes dark: the inhabitants have chosen to switch off the lights for 5 days and this is why

 

Every autumn, Corvo Island in the Azores turns off its public lighting for a few key days to help fledgling Cory’s shearwaters as they attempt to fly to the ocean guided by the stars

Photo: The Guardian

By Andrea D Zanenga

Once a year, Corvo, the smallest and most northerly island of Portugal’s Azores archipelago, goes dark. Since 2019, the island’s 450 or so inhabitants have chosen to switch off the lights every autumn for five nights to tackle the disastrous effects of artificial light on Cory’s shearwaters, a seabird endemic to the Atlantic Ocean.

It began in 1991 when the community noticed huge numbers of deaths among young shearwaters.

The juveniles spend three months in their nests before attempting their first flight to the ocean, orienting themselves by the stars.

• A newborn Cory’s shearwater chick

Unfortunately, many are fatally confused by the artificial glow of streetlights, and end up crashing into Vila do Corvo’s narrow streets.

Local people began rescuing them at night, roaming through the village in the dark. This inspired other communities, and in 1995, the Azorean government launched the “SOS Cagarro” [shearwaters] campaign to include the other eight islands.

In subsequent years, the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA) joined the project, helping it grow.

• At nearly 2am, dedicated young volunteers remain engaged in their work, helping with the recovered birds

• Leonardo Xavier is one of the young volunteers who helps to capture the disoriented birds around the village, top left. Top right, the webbed foot of a Cory’s shearwater. Rui Pimentel, left, is Corvo’s forest ranger, and on the frontline of Cory’s shearwater conservation. Cats, right, are the main predators of Cory’s shearwater chicks. The SPEA team has installed ultrasonic devices around nests to deter attacks

I discovered the initiative on my second trip to Corvo, in June 2024. I knew of the Cory’s shearwater because I had travelled to the Azores before and had the chance to observe them in the open sea.

But it was not until I saw a campaign sticker in a shop on the island that I found out about the blackout. When it was explained to me, I decided to come back and document it.

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To me, the message of this story is that there is always hope, especially when we involve future generations and teach them to care about our planet and its beauty.

Today, Corvo is still the only island that performs a full blackout of public illumination to help the birds find their way to the ocean without interference from artificial lights.

• A long exposure photograph of Vila do Corvo during the blackout, with only security lights on. People do not have to turn off their household lights, but many choose to do so. The island of Flores can be seen in the distance

• Tania Pipa, left, a marine biologist from SPEA, checks each artificial and natural Cory’s shearwater nest on the island. A native of São Miguel Island, the largest of the Azores, she travels to Corvo every year to check on the birds. ‘To me, the day I don’t hear Cory’s shearwaters in the Azores, it will certainly not be the Azores,’ she says. Right, a Cory’s shearwater in its artificial nest

The island sinks into darkness and the stars can be seen clearly; the birds begin their journeys, hoping to find their way to the ocean, while people walk through Vila do Corvo, the only village on the island, to find and rescue any fallen birds.

Those rescued will be placed in cardboard boxes overnight to recover, and released the next day from a cliff close to the ocean, giving them a second chance to reach the water, their new home.

The campaign says more than 30,000 Cory’s shearwater fledglings have been rescued in the Azores since 2015 – about 6,000 of them on Corvo alone.

This collective effort is a powerful example of how reducing light pollution can restore ecological balance. It demonstrates that small changes can significantly affect biodiversity.

How can an action like this inspire global reflection? This intentional blackout is not just an act of conservation but a step towards developing the ability to coexist with nature.

• The night sky above Caldeirão, the volcanic crater that shapes the island of Corvo