Indonesian waters are home to around 200 shark species but only one of them enjoys full protection from the government – the whale shark. The reality for other shark species can be best experienced in the small shark fishing village of Tanjung Luar on the island of Lombok, east of Bali.

Here, in the early morning, the motors of dozens of small fishing boats break the silence of the night. Tanjung Luar is known as one of Indonesia’s most important fish markets and in the hustle and bustle of the daily market activities, you can see sturdy fishermen drag sharks, from giant tiger to big-eyed thresher sharks, off their boats and onto the market square where the animals are supposed to get auctioned off.

Rows and rows of dead sharks, from smaller to larger specimen, lie on the cold floor. The smell of ammonia and the sight of baby sharks getting cut out of their dead mother’s stomach is not for the faint-hearted. “The first time I saw the landing of hundreds of shark specimens with my own eyes, I saw five foetuses come out of the belly of a pregnant female,” says photojournalist Federico. “I can vividly remember the very strong smell of ammonia that made it difficult to breathe as well as the loud noises from the cutting of the raw meat.”