Good news for the sharks:
Maldives to Ban Reef Shark Fishing by March 2010Maldives Minister of State for Fisheries and Agriculture explained to the South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission steering committee meeting in Mombasa, that his country was in the process of banning fishing of sharks from its waters, making it the first nation in the region to make such a move...
Sharks are a key feature of the tourism industry in the Maldives but recently their numbers have plummeted, due to their killing by fishermen targeting them for their lucrative fins.
A ten year moratorium banning shark fishing was imposed in 1998, to cover the seven atolls where tourism had been established, on the assumption that many tourists visited the Maldives to see sharks. But tourism has now spread and covers almost all of the islands and the ministry has decided to expand the ban to encompass all reef sharks fishing across the Maldives within a 12 nautical mile radius (22km).
Giving a one year notice of a total ban on reef shark fishing by March 2010, Dr Hassan said, “We have realised that it is more economically viable to leave the shark and other sea creatures unharmed because the country currently earns about $7 million annually from the diving industry,†He continued, “The marine ecosystem is very fragile and that is why we have to regulate activities that coupled with the treats of climate change could adversely affect the major sources of income for the country."
A ten year moratorium banning shark fishing was imposed in 1998, to cover the seven atolls where tourism had been established, on the assumption that many tourists visited the Maldives to see sharks. But tourism has now spread and covers almost all of the islands and the ministry has decided to expand the ban to encompass all reef sharks fishing across the Maldives within a 12 nautical mile radius (22km).
Giving a one year notice of a total ban on reef shark fishing by March 2010, Dr Hassan said, “We have realised that it is more economically viable to leave the shark and other sea creatures unharmed because the country currently earns about $7 million annually from the diving industry,†He continued, “The marine ecosystem is very fragile and that is why we have to regulate activities that coupled with the treats of climate change could adversely affect the major sources of income for the country."