South African authorities have just jailed two Chinese nationals this Wednesday for illegally fishing for abalone on South Africa’s coastline. The two men were caught with more than R954 625 worth of abalone, which is known to be considered a delicacy in the Asian continent.
Poachers from all over the globe have long been drawn to South Africa’s rich coast in search of these valuable sea snails. This arrest is a part of the South African governments attempts to stop abalone trafficking networks that are mostly operated by Chinese trafficking groups.
This arrest proved to be a victory in the venture to stop abalone patching as both Chinese nationals, identified as Feng Zhu and Zhou Wang Feng, will be sentenced to two years in prison as stated by SAPS. The efforts of the South African government are actively working towards holding these offenders accountable.
It is important for the South African government to intervene in the issue of abalone poaching where it was estimated in 2018 that it costs the country around $60 million every year. According to News24, South Africa has lost more than 96 million abalone over the past twenty years. The country has lost 9.6 million abalone to illegal poaching in 2016 alone.
Picture: Getaway Gallery
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