Man held over large shark fin haul

PHUKET TOWN: A tip-off led the Marine Police to arrest a Taiwanese fisherman in possession of 115 shark fins today, the second arrest of its kind in just over three weeks. The man, named by police as Chern Whan Yee, 58, left his boat, “Worita”, this morning carrying two large white bags. When the officers asked Chern to open the bags, they found the shark fins, which weighed about 80 kilograms. A worldwide campaign has been mounted by environmental groups against shark fin soup, considered a delicacy by many Chinese, because fishermen often cut off the fins, then throw the sharks back into the sea alive, leaving them to die a slow and lingering death. Pol Capt Maitree Naktham, deputy inspector of the Phuket Marine Police, told the Gazette that the Marine Police were keen to preserve Phuket’s underwater life. “The price of shark fins is about 900 baht per kilogram,” Capt. Maitree added. “Chern was charged with avoiding customs duty.” He is being held in custody at Phuket Town Police Station while investigators complete their inquiries. On January 15 police arrested another Taiwanese fisherman, Chua Teng Juan, in possession of 42 shark fins.