The crew of a Chinese fishing boat which ran aground in French Polynesia's Tuamotu archipelago last month is suspected of being involved in shark finning, which would is illegal in the territory.
Tahiti Nui TV reports the mayor of Arutua atoll, Reupena Samuel Taputuarai, went to the stricken Chinese ship, as part of an effort to find a way to dislodge the vessel.
According to the report, the mayor accompanied a salvage expert and a professional fisherman found the shark fins in the freezer of the Shen Gang Shun 1.
The vessel had run aground and its crew of 36 was immediately rescued by another fishing vessel belonging to the same Chinese fishing company operating the area.
The mayor is reportedly prepared to lodge a complaint after the discovery.
Pictures taken in the ship's hold are circulating on social media.
Papeete, which is about 400 kilometres southwest of Arutua, is a key transhipment port for the Chinese fishing fleet in the southeast Pacific.