300 dead sharks found dumped in Mexico

Residents in western Mexico were mystified when the carcasses of 300 sharks were found dumped by a roadside in their town, which lies about 150 miles (240 kms) from the sea.

The shark carcasses were gutted had their fins removed.

A video released by Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office for Environmental Protection shows personnel from the agency documenting the shark carcasses found lying by the side of the road.

They were found in the township of Yurecuaro in Michoacan state, which has a problem with gangs and a homicide rate of 27.4 per 100,000 inhabitants, above the national average.

The office for environmental protection said Wednesday the thresher sharks had apparently been legally fished in the northern states of Sonora and Sinaloa and were being taken by truck to Mexico City.

But thieves intercepted the truck, stole it and dumped the frozen shark carcasses by the roadside in Michoacan. Thresher sharks are not a protected species in Mexico.