Activists: Ban shark hunting

KOTA KINABALU: Environmentalists and divers in Sabah have started a campaign to get the Federal Government to amend laws to ban shark hunting in the state’s islands.

The campaign came about following the revelation of pictures of sharks being finned and slaughtered in the diving haven of Pulau Mabul near Sipadan.

The images were also featured on the Facebook page of the US Embassy.

Among others, the campaign calls for the people to stop eating shark fin soup and claims that finning sharks is equivalent to killing elephants for their tusks.

Conservation groups have also expressed concern that the slaughter will affect the local tourism industry.

Sabah Shark Protection Association president Aderick Chong said the unemployment rate would spike if the Government ignored the call to ban shark hunting for the sake of some fishermen.

“Tourists come here to see our marine life and to have such horrific photographs circulated or have no sharks left to see would not do any good to the tourism industry,” he said.

He added that “reasons” such as protecting the livelihood of fishermen should not be an excuse for the Federal Government to not act on the issue.

As for the fishermen’s livelihood, Chong said there were many alternatives, especially in the tourism industry.

“Other options such as seaweed planting could also be taken up,” he added.

Chong said although there are ongoing programmes by the Tropical Research and Conservation Centre in Pom Pom and Kalapuan islands that work with communities to adopt more sustainable livelihoods, the killings are still happening.

Conservation groups claim sharks are butchered in Mabul at least three times a week, with many of the incidences witnessed by horrified tourists.

Marine biologist Ric Owen said shark-viewing is among the main products offered by tour operators, adding: “You have thousands of tourists coming from all over the world just to see sharks, yet you have people here killing them for food.”

Netizens have reacted angrily to the pictures, with one Kelvin Fong saying that countries such as Australia have enacted laws to protect sharks in their waters, while Justin Immanuel said there was no point having laws when there is no enforcement.