Sabah to go ahead with shark sanctuary sans Putrajaya’s approval

KOTA KINABALU — After a bid to protect sharks from fishing was dismissed by Putrajaya, Sabah is determined to carry on efforts to introduce a shark sanctuary with or without approval from the federal government, said a state minister.

Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Masidi Manjun questioned the reasoning behind the rejection, saying that protecting the species in Sabah’s waters was far more lucrative through the diving industry than shark finning.

“We will proceed with our next option which is to introduce a shark sanctuary and which, in my opinion does not require the permission or concurrence of the federal government,” he said.

“I am not too sure whether the minister understands why we wanted to ban shark finning and shark hunting, maybe it’s his reasoning among others that banning it would have minimum economic implications as it’s not an industry in itself,” said Mr Masidi, referring to Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek.

On Monday (Oct 5), Mr Ahmad Shabery said that there was no need to amend the current Fisheries Act and impose a ban on shark hunting and finning activities despite reports of dwindling shark population and rampant illegal fishing in the state.

The reiteration came as a blow to marine and shark conservationists who have been pushing for more protection for the species in the marine resource-rich state.

Mr Masidi said that conservation was a big concern in the state as revenue from the diving industry in Sabah was more than RM350 million (S$117 million) last year, with sharks being one of the biggest lures to dive in the many islands in state.

“I doubt whether (the sale of) shark fins contributed 10 per cent of that to the state economy. Imagine the economic implications after the last shark is caught for its fin,” he said.

Mr Masidi said he accepted and respected the federal government’s decision not to amend the Fisheries Act and ban shark hunting and finning activities, and will go ahead with plans to set up shark protected areas.

The protection will mean shark fishing will only be banned in certain areas and will not make it illegal to fish sharks in the state.

“We’ll take one step at a time and hopefully over time the federal authority will appreciate the rationale and the benefits of our proposal and re-evaluate their stand,” he said.

Mr Masidi also said that the shark population in Sabah has declined by 80 per cent over the past three decades.

A study by conservation organisation Traffic said that Malaysia caught 231,212 tonnes of sharks from 2002 to 2011, the eighth highest globally, and accounting for 2.9 per cent of the total global reported shark catch during that period. MALAY MAIL ONLINE