Bali Police is deepening its investigation into an alleged shark smuggling case after thwarting a boat with a net containing 300 kilograms of dead sharks.
The boat was stopped in the waters of the Bali Strait during a routine patrol, said police spokesman Superintendent Hengky Widjaja.
The boat’s crew was unable to present any documentation for the sharks nor any sailing permits whatsoever, leading police to believe they had been trying to smuggle the meat over to Bali.
Sharks are often hunted solely for their fins, an ingredient in tonics and a major delicacy in soups for sale at restaurants, particularly in China.
In addition to finding 300 kilograms of sharks piled up, which were various species and mostly young, police also found shark oil and fishing rods on the boat.
The boat is known to have departed from Muncar, Banyuwangi, East Java, and was headed to Kedonganan, Bali.
“Five of the crew and the boat’s captain were examined by Bali Water Police and the boat was forced to dock at Benoa Harbor, for purposes of the investigation,” Widjaja siad.
“At the moment, we are still in the process of investigation, under the Directorate of Water Police,” Widjaja said, as quoted by Antara Bali.
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