Abalone: The Trafficked South African Sea Snail

Africa and the Global Illicit Economy

Abalone is a fairly innocuous little creature that fits in the palm of your hand. It's a type of sea snail found off the coast of South Africa, and abalone is also considered a delicacy in Asia.

It's been driven to near-extinction by massive levels of poaching, in a transnational criminal network that sees local, regional and international players compete for profits.

In this episode, Lindy speaks to Simon Haysom about a new report from the Global Initiative called Disrupting Abalone Harms: Illicit flows of H. midae from South Africa to East Asia.

Presenter: Lindy Mtongana

Speaker: Simone Haysom, Senior Analyst and Thematic Lead on Environmental Crime at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

Additional Links:

Paper - Disrupting Abalone Harms: Illicit flows of H. midae from South Africa to East Asia.

Civil Society Observatory of Illicit Economies in Eastern and Southern Africa

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.