No laws stopping hunting of sharks and manta rays in Sabah

Senseless killing: Villagers butchering a two-metre-long manta ray at a water village on the resort island of Pulau Mabul, Semporna.

KOTA KINABALU: The killing of sharks and manta rays in Sabah’s diving heaven of Mabul Island is legal, said state Fisheries Department director Dr Ahamed Sade.

He noted that the killings, which had horrified tourists, were not illegal because the sharks are not protected and the rays can be consumed locally.