A ray of hope for sharks

A file picture of freshly-harvested shark fins.

KOTA KINABALU: Shark protection advocacy groups in Sabah have targeted to meet by March next year to draw up an effective conservation plan for sharks and rays.

Sabah Shark Protection Associa­tion (SSPA) chairman Aderick Chong said decision makers will gather to deliberate on “Vision 2030” next year to establish a roadmap to ensure the sustainability of these marine animals in Sabah’s waters and beyond.

“The roadmap will focus on law and policy reform, research and awareness,” Chong said in a statement.

He said SSPA members were pooling their expertise as shark landings had increased significantly in the last three decades.

Chong said SSPA would work with relevant government departments to increase the level of legal protection for sharks and rays, while promoting their long-term protection at the national level.

“Law and policy reform will be supported by research, which will include new studies on the market value of these species and whether these landings are from targeted fisheries or by catch,” he said.

SSPA comprises Land Empower­ment Animals People, Ma­­lay­sian Nature Society (Sabah branch), Marine Conservation Society, Scuba Junkie SEAS, Shark Stewards, Scubazoo, Tropical Research and Conservation Centre and WWF-Malaysia.

Chong said a recent report by wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC and WWF indicated Malaysia was an active player in the South-East Asia region for shark fin and meat trading.

Malaysia also served as a source of Singapore’s shark fin imports, he claimed.

The report, he said, stated that demand for shark and ray products in Singapore was being met by either unsustainable or entirely unknown sources due to current lack of genuine “sustainable shark and ray fisheries systems”, or adequate traceable systems with appropriate trade data recording.

“SSPA believes that the situation is similar in Malaysia at a time when high demand for shark fin continues to be the main driver of unsustainable fishing of sharks globally,” he added.