Palau appeals for world-first shark haven to be respected

September 28, 2009 11:21:16 AM

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The tiny Pacific republic of Palau, which has declared itself the world's first shark sanctuary, has urged international respect for the decision to compensate for its lack of enforcement ability.

President Johnson Toribiong unveiled details of the sanctuary in his speech to the United Nations on Friday.

However, the small country which presides over rich fishing grounds has only one patrol ship to enforce the sanctuary in Palau's 621,600 square kilometre (237,000 square mile) exclusive economic zone, an area about the size of France.

Toribiong, who described sharks as "a natural barometer for the health of our oceans", appealed to world leaders to join Palau's effort to protect the sharks.

"Palau will become the world’s first national shark sanctuary, ending all commercial shark fishing in our waters and giving a sanctuary for sharks to live and reproduce unmolested in our 237,000 square miles of ocean," he said.
"We call upon all nations to join us."

Palau came to prominence as a shark campaigner in 2003 with the introduction of anti-shark fishing legislation which carries a 250,000 dollar fine for fishing, mutilation and transport of sharks in Palau waters.

Then president Tommy Remengesau Jr. staged a spectacular protest that same year when he publicly set fire to shark fins seized from a foreign vessel found in Palau waters.

However, shark fishing remains a lucrative business, especially with the demand in parts of Asia for shark's fin soup, and a recent flyover of Palau waters found more than 70 foreign fishing vessels, many of them operating illegally.

"It is anomalous that Palau is experiencing economic difficulty while it sits in the middle of the richest waters in the world. We can no longer stand by while foreign vessels illicitly come to our waters," Toribiong said.

About 130 shark species are found in Palau waters and Matt Rand, director of the Pew Environment Group’s global shark conservation campaign, said the sanctuary declaration would fill a "dire need" to save the creatures.

"More than one third of the world’s shark species are threatened or near threatened with extinction," Rand said.

Dermot Keane, founder of the Palau Shark Sanctuary, believed Toribiong's initiative would take marine conservation and shark protection to a new level.

It sends the message that "shark fishing is no longer acceptable and that the country will enforce its laws and those who violate it should be held liable".

With a population of about 21,000, Palau is one of the smallest countries in the world with an economy heavily reliant on tourism and fishing.

Much of the tourist activity is centered on diving and snorkelling in tropical waters filled with coral reefs, marine life and World War II wrecks.