Shark fins from Indramayu, West Java are in demand by people in a number of countries in East Asia as indicated by the amount that is exported each month -- up to 90 tons.

Hong Kong, Japan and China are the main destinations for shark fins, with Singapore and Malaysia not too far behind.

One of the suppliers of shark fins in Indramayu is Sumangi Tarmidi, 38, who runs a seafood-processing facility in Pabelan Udik village, in Indramayu regency.

He explained that his company could process at least one to three tons of fins per day from various species of shark caught by the fishermen off the coasts of Java.

"We also accept sharks caught by fishermen from outside the area, like Sumatra or East Java. But, at the moment, most of the supply comes from the waters off Indramayu," said Sumangi.

Sumangi said that he started the business in 1990. His company employs 60 people now and has a turnover reaching Rp 500 million a month. He said that most of the processed shark fins were aimed at the East Asia market.

"The biggest orders come from importers in Japan. Singaporean and Malaysian importers have also done business with us. The shark fins are sent to the designated countries through an exporting company in Jakarta," said Sumangi.

The price of shark fins marketed by Sumangi varies according to size. A large fin measuring over 36 centimeters (cm) costs Rp 1.5 million (about US$157).

A medium-sized fin around 30cm long costs Rp 1.3 million, and a smaller fins under 30 cm is priced at Rp 700,000.

Sumangi explained that the sharks obtained from fishermen in Indramayu consisted of various species, such as hammerhead sharks, tiger sharks, the yong bun (weighing a maximum of 150 kg each), kikir (75 kg) and karangan (120 kg).

"They are supplied by fishermen through the Karang Song wholesale market in Indramayu district," said Sumangi.

Besides shark fins, fin cartilage can be used in the manufacture of cosmetics. Fishermen sell the shark fin and cartilage for between Rp 30,000 an Rp 40,000 per kg.

A number of fishermen at the Karang Song market said that they had also reaped benefits from the shark fin processing industry.

Casmadi, 34, said that even though most of the fishermen here had no expertise in catching sharks, those caught in their nets could be sold at good prices.

Casmadi said that nearly all parts of the shark could be sold.

"Its meat can be sold to Jamblang rice sellers in Cirebon. They call it cucut meat. It is cooked as a side dish with nasi Jamblang," he said.

Nasi Jamblang, a specialty of Cirebon, is steamed rice wrapped in teak leaves and buyers are free to choose the variety of side dishes to accompany the rice. Nasi Jamblang is generally sold under tents along the sidewalks of Cirebon. But nowadays, many have established proper restaurants.

Sumangi was apparently at a loss for words when asked whether the sharks he exported were protected or not. "I don't really know whether the sharks we process are protected species or not. But if I find out that they are protected, I would certainly not use them. But I've never been reprimanded by the authorities," Sumangi pointed out.