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News > Latin America

Fishy Roadkill: 300 Sharks Found Off Mexican Highway

  • According to the Oceana organization, shark fins can sell for as much as US$1,239 per kilo in certain markets.

    According to the Oceana organization, shark fins can sell for as much as US$1,239 per kilo in certain markets. | Photo: Reuters

Published 24 January 2018
Opinion

Encased in sacks, 298 shark carcasses were discovered: allegedly the cargo of a van which had been stolen earlier in Jalisco.

Police stumbled across a fishy find when the carcasses of nearly 300 sharks were found defrosting on the side of a road in Michoacan, Mexico.

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Passersby were first alerted to the odd roadkill after the rank stench began floating down the busy highway. Authorities said they were expecting to find human remains, but were surprised when they discovered the sea creatures lining the road.

Encased in sacks, 298 sharks were found: allegedly the cargo of a van which was stolen earlier that day in La Barca, Jalisco.

Police believe that the car thieves dumped the carcasses along the La Piedad-Yurécuaro highway soon after the vehicle was stolen. The perpetrators have not yet been apprehended. However, some witnesses claim to have seen the sharks being thrown from a passing train.

The remains of the sharks have now been transferred to the Attorney General's Office while investigations continue.

A case file was opened by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, which has traced up to 100 of the sharks to their place of origin along the Mexican coastline.

According to the National Fisheries Institute, at least 39 of the species found are in high demand, particularly hammerheads, blue sharks, flying sharks and fox sharks.

Their popularity only serves to support the black market, which has contributed to a decline in shark populations of about 80 percent and promotes the selling of shark fin – the key ingredient in a traditional Asian soup, despite the fact its presence adds no discernible flavor.

According to the Oceana organization, shark fin can sell for as much as US$1,239 per kilo in certain markets.

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