Customs officials seized 23.5 kilos of shark fins with a value of $21,632 at Chennai airport in Tamil Nadu on October 28.

Footage shows the dried out fins in large quantities inside boxes.

The two passengers associated with the cargo were identified as Sathackkathullah, 52, of Chennai and Abbas, 29, of Tiruchirappalli.

Shark fin soup is a delicacy in some parts of the world and in China is said to bring prosperity and good health.

Given the high value of the fins, fishermen often retain only the shark's fin and then throw the shark back into the ocean, where they die bleeding, suffocated, and unable to swim.

The Customs Air Intelligence unit officials at a southern Indian airport in Tamil Nadu seized 23.5kg (51.8 lbs) of processed shark fins valued at Rs 16.5lakhs (USD 21632) on October 28. The seizure took place at Chennai Airport.

Visuals show the tiny bits of shark fins seized by the Customs officials in white gunny bags.

The bags were found from two suspicious passengers travelling to Dubai who were intercepted after clearing immigration. Wildlife products, suspected to be shark fins, weighing 9.5kg (20 lbs) was recovered from one bag and the other two bags combined contained 14kg (30 lbs) of the same.

The two passengers were identified as Sathackkathullah aged 52 of Chennai and Abbas aged 29 of Tiruchirappalli, bound for Dubai by Fly Dubai FZ 8518.

Shark fin soup is an expensive delicacy served in high-end restaurants abroad. The Chinese consider it a symbol of prosperity, status and conferrer of good health. The practise of finning is said to be causing a collapse of shark populations around the world.

Given the high value of the fins, fishermen often retain only the sharks' fin, which hardly weighs up to 5% of its body weight, and then throw the shark back into the ocean, where they die bleeding, suffocated, and unable to swim.