A photo of two blacktip reef sharks lifelessly hanging outside a restaurant in Phuket, one of Thailand’s most popular tourist destinations, has sparked an outpouring of online criticism.
The photo, taken on Karon Beach in Mueang Phuket District, was posted by Facebook user “Sunshine Sketcher” on Monday morning.
“Seafood restaurants these days love selling whole sharks to attract customers. This picture shows two [dead] blacktip reef sharks… Another one looks like a shark ray,” the user writes.
Many netizens commented to criticize the restaurant’s bad taste.
“Mocking nature, testing the law” wrote one commenter.
“The penalty for this [poaching sea life] is too light” wrote another.
Meanwhile, marine biologist Thon Thamrongnawasawat also weighed in on the picture,
“These fish are not yet protected by the law. Even though there are fishing bans in certain areas, people still getting away with catching them because we can’t prove where they were captured. We need to push for policies to protect these creatures,” he said.
Though Blacktip reef sharks remain relatively widespread, overfishing and slow-reproduction have led the International Union for Conservation of Nature to categorize blacktip reef sharks as near threatened.
When dozens of these species were spotted in the famed waters of Maya Bay back in October, after four months of closure, environmentalists rejoiced at the positive results of environmental restoration efforts.
However photos such as these raises questions about what the country’s priorities are.
“How exactly do Thai people loves sharks?” Sunshine Sketcher asks.
