HONOLULU – The owner of a Japanese fishing vessel, Hamada Suisan Co. Ltd., is facing federal charges for its role in a brazen shark fin trafficking scheme uncovered at Honolulu International Airport in 2018. The company is accused of aiding and abetting the attempted export of approximately 190 pounds of shark fins, valued at up to $57,850 on the black market, in violation of the Lacey Act.
The case stems from the discovery of 962 shark fins hidden within the checked luggage of crew members aboard the M.V. Kyoshin Maru No. 20 (“Kyoshin Maru”). The vessel, flagged in Japan, had been engaged in longline tuna fishing in the southern Pacific for roughly a year. Authorities allege that during that period, the crew systematically harvested fins from an estimated 300 sharks. On November 6, 2018, as Indonesian fishermen disembarked in Honolulu to catch return flights, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers flagged ten checked bags containing the illicit cargo.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) quickly seized the fins, identifying several as coming from critically endangered species. Among them were fins from oceanic whitetip sharks – a threatened species protected under both the Endangered Species Act and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). NOAA data indicates the oceanic whitetip population has plummeted by 80-95% in the Pacific since the mid-1990s. Fins from silky sharks and bigeye thresher sharks, also CITES-protected, were also recovered.
“Shark finning is inhumane, intolerable, and takes a very real toll on our precious ocean ecosystem,” stated U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii, Kenji M. Price. “My office is committed to combatting this cruel practice by prosecuting to the fullest extent of the law anyone found to be trafficking in these types of shark fins.” Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey B. Clark of the Environment and Natural Resources Division echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the U.S.’s commitment to enforcing international bans on shark finning.
Federal law prohibits the practice of removing shark fins at sea without the corresponding carcass, as well as the possession, transfer, or landing of detached fins within U.S. jurisdiction. Hawaii state law further reinforces these protections, making it illegal to possess, sell, or distribute shark fins. The investigation, a collaborative effort involving USFWS, NOAA, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Coast Guard, highlights the multi-agency approach to tackling wildlife trafficking.
Hamada Suisan Co. Ltd. currently faces a single charge of unlawfully trafficking shark fins. The Information filed in court is an allegation, and the company is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc A. Wallenstein of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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Key Facts
- State: Hawaii
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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