Sabah group calls for shark fishing law

Controversial catch: A vendor selling shark meat at a fish market in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

KOTA KINABALU: A shark conservation group here said a law banning shark fishing is just as important as a proposed sanctuary for them in waters off Sabah.

Sabah Shark Protection Assoc­ia­tion pro-tem chairman Aderick Chong said they were hoping to meet with Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek to explain the need for such a legislation.

But Ahmad Shabery said the Sabah government’s request for a ban on shark hunting and finning in Sabah was unnecessary.

He said sharks, unlike tuna, were accidentally caught by fishermen in Malaysian waters, which indicated that shark hunting and the finning industry did not exist in Malaysia.

Conservation organisation Traffic had reported that more than 231 tonnes of sharks were caught in Malaysia from 2002 to 2011, accounting for 2.9% of the total global shark catch reported during that period.

State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Mas­i­di Manjun said that the Sabah go­­vern­ment accepted and respected the Federal Government’s decision not to amend the Fisheries Act and ban shark hunting and finning.

He added that it would proceed with plans to set up shark protection areas at certain locations in the state.

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