It’s been almost two years since Hawaii’s shark fin ban went into effect.
Friday afternoon, enforcement officers busted a man for trying to sell shark fins to a Chinese restaurant.
The man was cited, and now faces a possible fine, and possible jail time.
This is something you don’t see in Hawaii anymore.
"In the duffle bag, there are 14 shark fins, and they appear to be fresh, not cured or dried," said Guy Chang, DOCARE Oahu Branch Chief.
Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement officers say the shark fins belonged to this man.
"He was cited for possession and offering for sale shark fins," said Chang.
It all started around two o’clock Friday afternoon.
The owner of Royal Garden at the Ala Moana Hotel says a man came in, and asked if they wanted buy shark fins.
They said no, because it’s illegal.
"They did the right thing, they turned the male away and notified the security in the hotel," said Chang.
The restaurant owner says the man went downstairs, and then left the bag in the hotel’s loading dock.
He then got into a taxi.
"We contacted the cab company, asked them where they made the drop off on this cab fare, and came down here," said Chang.
"Here" being Pier 38 at Honolulu Harbor.
"So we came down here, and located him and identified him through the videos taken from the hotel security cameras," said Chang.
The man was cited. And his crew members were questioned.
"This is a misdemeanor. You can be penalized a $1000 fine and up to 30 days in jail for the first offense," said Chang.
Hawaii’s shark fin ban went into effect on July 1st, 2011, making it illegal to possess, sell, trade, and distribute shark fins.
Before the ban, Chinese restaurants like Royal Garden, would offer shark fin soup on the menu. It was a delicacy.
"People have been sensitive about it because so many sharks for lots and lots of years, have been basically you just catch the shark, cut the fins off and throw shark back, so obviously the shark dies after that," said Joel Lewis, Fisheries Biologist.
"It’s been two years now so there’s zero tolerance for possession of shark fins or offering them for sale," said Chang.
Hawaii was the first state in the nation to have a law that prohibits the possession and sale of shark fins.
Since then, other states have followed, including California, Washington and Oregon.
See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
