The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced it seized roughly 50,000 shark fins as part of a coordinated enforcement action.
USFWS said it seized the shipments in October 2025 as part of “Operation Thunder,” which was kicked off by inspectors discovering a shipment of shark fins in Anchorage, Alaska. The investigation found additional shipments moving through Anchorage; Louisville, Kentucky; and Cincinnati, Ohio, transiting from Mexico to Hong Kong.
All told, the investigation found 20 shipments totaling more than 1,600 pounds valued at more than USD 1 million (EUR 850,000). According to the USFWS, the shipments were disguised as car parts and were found to be linked to a larger trafficking network.
“The staggering number of fins were predominantly from silky sharks and bigeye thresher sharks, both protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES),” USFWS said. “All fins were seized for multiple violations of wildlife laws another strong step forward in stopping the illegal trade of threatened species.”
USFWS said it shared information on the shipments with other international partners “to support appropriate enforcement actions.”
The U.S. passed the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act in December 2022 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, tightening restrictions on the trade. In 2025, CITES added broad protections for sharks, with member countries approving every shark and ray proposal covering more than 70 species of shark and ray.
Silky sharks and thresher sharks gained greater Appendix II CITES protections in 2016. Under Appendix II, trade of species is strictly regulated to protect its conservation status.
