One of the places that make Indonesia known as the world’s leading exporter of shark fins is a fish auction market of Tanjung Luar located in East Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).
In this auction, each day, dozens, even hundreds, of sharks and rays in a range sizes being unloaded from 70 ships coming from Sulawesi and Flores waters. That huge number of ships is significant enough to wipe out the population of sharks and manta in the ocean around. Even Tanjung Luar is once called as the most aggressive market of sharks and manta in the world.
There are 21 species of sharks are traded at Tanjung Luar, on average. Locals use the local names to refer to several types of sharks, such as rubber shark, lonjor shark, mice shark, and frog sharks.
Once dismantled and auctioned off, the sharks and rays will be taken straight to Jakarta, Bali, and Surabaya, with the ultimate destinations are Hong Kong and the China mainland.
[Story by SIEJ member Isyana Artharini. Read full text here]
