KENDRAPARA: Forest officials on Monday seized a blacktip shark from a fishing vessel near Madali island within Gahirmatha marine sanctuary and arrested five persons for allegedly poaching the endangered marine species.
Forest range officer of Gahirmatha Pradosh Maharana said, “During a surprise raid, we found a dead blacktip shark in a fishing vessel. Five fishermen were arrested on charges of illegally catching the shark and trying to transport it to Kolkata. They were booked under the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.” The species is classified as endangered which is considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed the blacktip reef shark as vulnerable, said Maharana. Sources said a large number of fishermen illegally kill hundreds of sharks, particularly baby sharks, and clandestinely supply the marine species to traders of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and other states in fish packets.