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TRADEKEY, based in Saudi Arabia and owned by Waleed S. Abalkhail, is an on-line trading company similar to Alibaba. They are allowing businesses to list shark fins for sale on their website. A search for "shark fins" in their products category lists scores of suppliers located anywhere from Mexico to the Maldives. There are also listings from companies based in the UK, Spain, Australia, South Africa and the USA. Many of these are the same people who were trading shark fins on Alibaba until that company took the commendable decision to ban the listing of shark fins from January 1st this year. I even recognised one of the same pictures of fins that was used on Alibaba. Species of shark fin listed include blue, thresher, white (illegal), mako, tiger, diamond, hammerhead, black-tip, school, prickly, sicklefin smooth-hound and gummy sharks. The sale of "white shark" (another name for Great White sharks) is banned by the CITES convention, and is legally binding on member countries (Saudi Arabia is a member country).
Many listings do not indicate the type of shark fin being sold, raising the possibility that they could be selling illegal species. Whether or not the trade is illegal, it is certainly unethical and supports the barbaric practice of mutilating and killing sharks just so that their fins can be used to thicken soup. Shark fin itself is tasteless and contains very high levels of mercury. Its consumption is purely a symbol of status and affluence.
TradeKey is owned and operated by SISCOM, the Saudi telecommunications company. Both companies are owned and presided over by Waleed S. Abalkhail, a man who also owns the Sawabeh International Group construction giant. Waleed Abalkhail is evidently a man who values his privacy - I could find no photographs of him on Google and very few mentions on websites. I am sure he does not want his name associated with the bloody trade of shark finning. He is probably not even aware that shark fins are being sold on his website. Please email or write to Waleed Abalkhail and ask him to stop making money from the sale of endangered sharks and legally protected species of shark.
Waleed S. Abalkhail
President SISCOM
P.O. Box 56944
King Fahad Road,
Almas Center
Riyadh, 11564
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Regarding the listing of great white shark fins by a company based in the United Arab Emirates, please contact me for information on this seller via facebook (I do not want to post their details as it could advertise their presence to potential buyers). You can then contact the CITES Management Authority for the country of the United Arab Emirates - the contact details are here (click on "United Arab Emirates" in the index on the left) to alert them to the fact that there is a company trading illegally in white shark fins. Please also copy CITES on any emails you send ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).
Shark fins photo courtesy of the Shark Trust.
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