Chinese ship caught with banned shark fins in Pacific Ocean
The ship was among four vessels detained in a surveillance crackdown by 11 Pacific island nations, assisted by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Updated on: August 25, 2026 / 6:26 AM EDT / CBS/AFP
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 vessel was licensed to travel through Kiribati's waters but was detained by the maritime police after inspectors found shark fins on board, commander Tom Redfern told AFP.
"It was escorted back to Christmas Island for further investigation," he said, referring to a large atoll belonging to Kiribati and located south of Hawaii.