Brazil’s shark meat problem

Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. The country best known for samba and soybeans has quietly become the world’s largest importer of shark meat. A recent investigation by Mongabay’s Philip Jacobson, Karla Mendes and Kuang Keng Kuek Ser reveals the extent to which this flesh, sold generically as cação, has infiltrated Brazil’s public institutions. Over two decades, at least 5,400 metric tons of shark meat were procured for government facilities including 5,391 schools, more than 1,100 of which cater to infants and toddlers. Other recipients include prisons, hospitals, military bases, and even maternity wards. What’s troubling is not just the volume but the obfuscation. Brazilians consuming cação