Shark fins seized in the Galapagos

Ecuador has seized 815 shark fins in the Galapagos Islands in a fresh case of illegal fishing that environmentalists say threatens the archipelago's pristine ecosystem.

Galapagos park officials are trying to crack down on illegal shark finning, in which fishermen cut off fins and dry them before smuggling them to the Ecuadorean mainland or to Asia for use in shark fin soup.

Park and Navy officials seized the fins and detained two fishermen, a Korean salesman and the owner of a truck found at the site.