Chinese ship caught with banned shark fins in Pacific Ocean in operation involving U.S. Coast Guard
- Updated on: August 25, 2026 / 6:26 AM EDT / CBS/AFP Add CBS News on Google Kiribati, a tiny Pacific neighbor to Hawaii that has grown ties with Beijing, detained a Chinese vessel this month for illegally harvesting shark fins, its maritime police told AFP.
- The practice of cutting fins off live sharks and throwing the carcasses back into the sea is banned in much of the Pacific Ocean, but persists due to demand in East and Southeast Asia.
- The Chinese ship was among four vessels detained in a surveillance crackdown by 11 Pacific island nations between Aug.
Unverified
- Updated on: August 25, 2026 / 6:26 AM EDT / CBS/AFP Add CBS News on Google Kiribati, a tiny Pacific neighbor to Hawaii that has grown ties with Beijing, detained a Chinese vessel this month for illegally harvesting shark fins, its maritime police told AFP.
- The practice of cutting fins off live sharks and throwing the carcasses back into the sea is banned in much of the Pacific Ocean, but persists due to demand in East and Southeast Asia.
- The Chinese ship was among four vessels detained in a surveillance crackdown by 11 Pacific island nations between Aug.
Sources: CBS News