呼吁加强打击野生动物非法贸易

Marine experts have proposed an integrated conservation framework, including community participation, to address the rising threat from illegal marine species trade and boost marine enforcement.

Speaking at a national capacity building workshop being held at the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), they demanded a holistic approach combining science, enforcement, policy support and community engagement.

The three-day workshop, jointly organised by CMFRI, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) and WWF-India, brought together 27 enforcement officials from the forest department, postal department, Railway Protection Force, police of West Coast states and the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, along with scientists, conservationists and policymakers from across the country.

Emphasising the need for coordinated action against illegal wildlife trade in the marine sector, participants observed that effective conservation requires continuous monitoring, stronger stakeholder engagement and transparent dialogue with fishing communities.

Citing relevant studies, the workshop highlighted that between 2010 and 2022, India recorded 17 incidents involving seizures of illegal shark derivatives, with shark fins accounting for nearly 82 per cent of the total seizures.在此期间，大约有 15,839.5 公斤的鲨鱼衍生品被没收，其中泰米尔纳德邦成为主要热点地区，占案件的近 65%。

Manu Sathyan, Divisional Forest Officer, said species identification was one of the biggest challenges faced by enforcement agencies in marine wildlife crime investigations.他强调需要与 CMFRI 等研究机构密切合作，对受保护的海洋物种进行科学鉴定和记录。

The three-day meet focuses on improving enforcement mechanisms, species identification, legal procedures, digital evidence collection and inter-agency coordination to combat wildlife crime.