- On Feb. 24, Mongabay won first place in the higher education category of Brazil’s National Association of Directors of Federal Higher Education Institutions (Andifes), a top journalism education award in the country, with an investigation that revealed Brazilian state-run institutions were bulk-buying shark meat for public schools, hospitals and prisons.
- “The work stands out for its expert input from specialists and researchers, who contribute to the analysis of the environmental, health and regulatory impacts of the issue,” Andifes said in the announcement.
- In collaboration with the Pulitzer Center, the investigation published in July 2025 tracked 1,012 public tenders issued by Brazilian authorities since 2004 for the procurement of more than 5,400 metric tons of shark meat, worth at least 112 million reais.
- In December 2025, the investigation won second place in the national category of the 67th ARI/Banrisul Journalism Award, one of Brazil’s most prestigious journalism prizes.
A Mongabay exposé that revealed widespread Brazilian government procurements of shark meat to serve in thousands of schools, hospitals, prisons and other public institutions has won first place in the higher education category of Brazil’s National Association of Directors of Federal Higher Education Institutions (Andifes) awards, a top journalism education honor in the country.
“The work stands out for its expert input from specialists and researchers, who contribute to the analysis of the environmental, health and regulatory impacts of the issue,” Andifes said in the Feb. 24 announcement. “By valuing scientific knowledge in its journalistic approach, the report highlights the role of higher education in producing evidence, training specialists and contributing to public debate and public policy.”
In collaboration with the Pulitzer Center, the investigation published in July 2025 tracked 1,012 public tenders issued by Brazilian authorities since 2004 for the procurement of more than 5,400 metric tons of shark meat, worth at least 112 million reais ($21.8 million today). These tenders were issued by 542 municipalities in 10 of Brazil’s 26 states, raising environmental and public health concerns. Senior editor Philip Jacobson and investigative reporters Karla Mendes and Fernanda Wenzel were the Mongabay authors of the two-part investigation, along with Kuang Keng Kuek Ser, the Pulitzer Center’s data editor.
As apex predators, sharks’ tissues tend to accumulate high levels of heavy metals like mercury and arsenic, which can harm human health if ingested in large enough quantities, especially in young children and other vulnerable populations. Overfishing both for shark fins, considered a delicacy in East Asia, and for shark meat, which is increasingly consumed in many countries around the world, is pushing many shark and ray species toward extinction.
A second article published as part of the investigation found that government agencies across Brazil’s southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul, had issued tenders for at least 211 metric tons of angelshark, which are endangered.
Created in 1999, the Andifes Journalism Award recognizes journalistic works that contribute to informed public debate on Brazilian education, particularly basic education and public higher education. “Andifes congratulates the winners of the 2025 Andifes Journalism Award and reaffirms its recognition of journalism committed to the public interest, quality education, science and democracy,” it added in the announcement.
Shortly after publication, the investigation had immediate repercussions, ranging from a request for a public hearing by a federal lawmaker to a debate within the industry questioning the harmful effects of shark meat consumption, in addition to being cited by activists in a lawsuit and in a motion to ban shark fin exports. Since October 2025, shark meat has been banned in 1,200 schools run by the Rio de Janeiro state’s education department, thanks to a report from activists released after the Mongabay investigation, raising health and environmental concerns.
In December 2025, the investigation won second place in the national category of the 67th ARI/Banrisul Journalism Award, one of Brazil’s most prestigious journalism prizes. The investigation was also featured by the U.S. public radio program The World, on Mongabay’s podcast and in the iMEdD International Journalism Forum’s video series Unpacking the Story.
Banner image: Fresh shark meat is sold as cação at street markets in Rio de Janeiro. Image by Karla Mendes/Mongabay.
That ‘fish’ on the menu? In Brazil’s schools and prisons, it’s often shark
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