Man fined R1.5m for shark fins
by Admin on Apr.07, 2009, under Conservation, News
News24.com
Cape Town - The skipper of a Taiwanese fishing vessel has paid a R1.5m fine for contravening permit conditions, the department of environment affairs said on Monday.
This was the highest fine ever imposed for such a transgression, the department said.
The Chien Jui number 102 was seized in Cape Town harbour two weeks ago, and law enforcement authorities confiscated more than 1.6 tons of dried shark fin and 5.1 tons of shark carcasses from it.
The fine was for contravening permit conditions for foreign vessels entering the South African exclusive economic zone.
The number of fins did not match the number of shark bodies, and the discrepancy was beyond “tolerance” limits.
Department officials also arrested a man early on Monday morning near Hermanus after more than 5 000 perlemoen (abalone) were found in the vehicle he was driving.
He was expected to appear in the Hermanus Magistrate’s Court later this week.