‘Turn marine parks into sanctuaries if all else fails’

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will have no choice but to turn marine parks into sanctuaries if the Federal Government refuses to enforce laws against shark hunting.

State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said the move was necessary if the state government was serious about wanting to save the sharks, with the marine species being one of the main reasons tourists came to Sabah to dive.

Legal officers are now looking into the mechanics of establishing the shark sanctuaries and the relevant laws that could be enacted to outlaw shark hunting in all the marine parks covering over two million hectares, he said.

Masidi said like many others, he was furious over the incident but could only helplessly watch the unnecessary killing of the sharks in an industry that rakes in some RM380mil in tourism revenues.

“Declaring marine parks simultaneously as sanctuaries is the next best thing for sharks if laws cannot not be implemented to protect them,” he said, adding that an announcement would be made in a month or two.

He also lamented the fact that the state government’s numerous proposals to the federal authorities to amend the Fisheries Act three years ago had been misinterpreted as an attempt to restrain the fishing industry.

“There is nothing much we can do until the law is amended to give us power to take action,” Masidi said, adding that the proposed amendment aimed to ensure the sustainability of the tourism industry, which depends heavily on the beauty of the sea and marine life.

For Sabah to continue benefiting from the tourism industry, sacrifices (shark hunting) needed to be made, he said.