Sharks in a fishing boat at a dock in Kochi. India is one of the largest shark fishing nations of the world. The sharks are not only caught by India's own fleet, but also by foreign industrial fleets. The dying sharks are thrown back into the sea after their fins are cut off. The plundering of Indian Ocean shark species has resulted in a grevious decline of the shark population. In 2001 the Government of India banned harvesting of nine shark species, but as few fishermen can differentiate between protected and permitted species, all sharks continue to be killed.
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