The owners of a Taiwanese fishing vessel caught with shark fins in Palau have been charged with 30 counts in the Supreme Court of Palau.
The captain and the tuna fishing boat's representative in Palau have also been charged.
The charges include shark fishing, mutilating sharks, the use of steel leaders, maintaining an erroneous fishing log, fishing without permit, and failing to operate the vessel monitoring system.
The Taiwanese boat was located in Palau's economic zone last week with a cargo of 94 shark carcasses, 11 shark heads and 650 shark fins.
The captain is also being charged with attempted bribery after allegedly offering money to a marine law enforcement official after the sharks were found in the ship's hold.
The Palau Attorney General is calling for the forfeiture of the vessel, its cargo and equipment.
