Korean Air dumps shark's fin shipments

By Nam Hyun-woo

Korean Air said Thursday it has suspended flying shark’s fin cargo to protect the endangered species.

The nation’s largest carrier had shipped shark fins permitted by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), but it stopped accepting shipping requests of the fins since June 10.

Korean Air became the latest airline to take part in the global campaign to stop carrying shark’s fin shipments.

“Following the decision on the ban on shark fin carriage, Korean Air will more actively participate in campaigns to help protect endangered species,” said an official at the carrier.

The official said the airline will officially submit its new policy banning shipment of sharks and their byproducts to the International Air Transport Association.

In March, the triennial CITES conference took place in Thailand to designate five shark species as threatened species and adopted measures to guard sharks against overexploitation.

In May, New York State Assembly also voted unanimously to ban shark fin trade.

More than 73 million sharks are stripped of fins annually and thrown back in the ocean to drown. The fins are used as one of the main ingredients in the Chinese gourmet shark fin soup.