The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services announced that around 1,400 pounds of shark fins were seized at Miami Port, according to multiple reports.
The items were likely from South America and headed for Asia, where shark fins are in demand as a delicacy and commonly used in soups.
According to officials, the total amount of shark fins would likely be worth around $700,000 to $1 million.
“The goal of this seizure is to protect these species while deterring trackers from using U.S. ports as viable routes in the illegal shark fin trade,” said Christina Meister, a spokeswoman for the Fish and Wildlife Service, according to the Herald.
According to Gavin Shire, Chief of Public Affairs at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the shipment of shark fins also violated the Lacey Act, a law dating from 1900 that banned the trafficking of illegal wildlife.
CITES refers to the Convention on International Trade and Endangered Species, a list of wild animals and plants that are protected, including 12 different shark species.
No arrests have yet been made and the investigation is still ongoing, according to Meister.
“For shark fins, and other threatened luxury wildlife, only a tiny proportion could be managed sustainably, much of the international trade is uncontrolled or currently uncontrollable, laundering and poaching are rife, criminal networks are often involved and there is scant government or consumer appetite in major demand centers pushing for sustainable and legal trade,” according to the study.