Sharks on order – Phuket seafood restaurants

PHOTO: Sunshine Sketcher

“Sea food restaurants along Kata and Karon Beach are famous among tourists as prices of dishes are quite reasonable.”

The IUCN is calling for every country to educate tourists to protect sharks before they become extinct. More sharks have now been discovered hanging in front of seafood restaurants along the Karon restaurant strip.

Read more about recent sightings of sharks in Karon restaurants HERE.

EXIT Thai PBS is reporting that the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has reported that about 181 kinds of sharks are at risk of becoming extinct as they continue to be hunted. And eaten.

The EXIT Thai PBS reporters visited seafood restaurants in Kata and Karon. They found that some restaurants don’t display sharks in front of their restaurant but have shark dishes included in their menus.

Some restaurants that sell out their shark supply can also buy shark meat from nearby restaurants to cook for their customers. Some restaurants use the black tip reef sharks in their menus.

There is gap in the laws of enforcement, specifically in relation to the kinds and sizes of sharks that can be legally caught and eaten. Legal action can only be taken when the fishermen are caught red handed fishing inside a conservation area. Only whale shark is a protected shark species.

The IUCN is calling for every country to help educate tourists to avoid eating shark in foreign countries before they become extinct.

PHOTO: Go-Eco Phuket