SMITH COUNTY (WBAP/KLIF News) — A Frisco man has been arrested in East Texas on suspicion of trafficking shark fins.
Qi Rui Zhou, 52, was arrested in Smith County, near Tyler.
He’s suspected of breaking a Texas law signed last year by Governor Greg Abbott that bans buying, selling or transporting fins with the intent to sell.
The practice of finning sharks, which is where a fisherman catches a shark, cuts off its fins, and tosses it back in the water was banned in 2000 after then President Bill Clinton signed the Shark Finning Prohibition act into law.
Finning is done because shark fins are considered a delicacy in many Asian cultures, often times used in high-end soup. The practice was banned because of a decreasing shark population and the perceived inhumane nature of it.
The crime is classified as a Class B misdemeanor. If convicted, Zhou faces up to half a year in jail and a $2,000 fine.
