Indonesia’s diverse and unique marine habitat is home to 20 percent of the world’s shark and ray species—many of which are endangered. In November, our photojournalist Resha Juhari documented the slaughter and sale of these majestic and often misunderstood creatures at Indonesia’s traditional markets.
“We know that the existence of sharks helps to maintain the marine ecological system. Sharks play an important role in protecting coral reefs and fish populations. What if sharks become extinct? That’s why these visuals are important.” ― Resha Juhari, animal photojournalist
Photographer: Resha Juhari
In Pangkalpinang, the capital of Bangka Belitung Island, there is a traditional market where workers cut and dry shark fins in the morning. Starting from small sharks to large ones, all the cuts are made on the spot. At this particular market, Juhari witnessed sharks being cut into pieces, their body parts separated depending on the selling value.
Dried shark fins are sold to collectors in Jakarta and exported abroad to Hong Kong, China and Singapore, selling for high prices. In 2022, the largest fins, up to 40 centimetres in length, could sell for USD $89.00/kg. Comparatively, meat sold from the rest of the shark fetches a price of approximately USD $2.25/kg. As of 2015, Indonesia was the single largest supplier of such products worldwide, catching and producing over 12.3 percent of the world’s supply.
According to the 2021 International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, approximately 37% of the world’s shark and ray species are threatened with extinction. Gaps in Indonesia’s fishery regulations have been flagged as facilitating both illegal and unregulated trade of shark products, posing a great risk to the global shark and ray population, which has declined by more than 70% in the past 50 years. These visuals offer a glimpse inside this highly-profitable industry that plays a direct role in this tragic statistic.
Data sources: ScienceDirect / SEAFDEC / IUCN / Mongabay / The Guardian
Photographer: Resha Juhari
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