As a Malaysian, a diver and a person who has seen first hand horrifc shark finning in Mabul I applaud your efforts and those of the Sabah state government and anyone who is working towards the conservation of our marine life.
Conservation is everyone’s business be it government, private sector, communities and individuals but the initiative must start from somewhere.
Malaysia has world-class dive sites which are frequented by visitors far and wide. Fishing villagers and communities need to be taught and given alternative means of making a living other than by the exploitation of the marine life and coral reefs. They need to learn that protecting the environment can also be good for business and they can cultivate the benefits of a healthy ecosystem.
Adequate financing, proper management systems and support need to be given to the villagers so that they are ensured of jobs and income to provide for their families. They should be trained to support the tourism industry rather than make their living via illegal activities. Although heads and expertise can come from abroad but all staffing should be locals who are trained to either enforce the regulations (i.e. no sharking hunting, fish bombing, commercial fishing), become guides, boatsmen, run dive operations, operators of home stays or hotels and eventually the community will be able to sustain themselves.
After all the ones reaping the riches of such illegal activities such as shark fining are not those catching the sharks themselves but those that fund such operations.
We cannot blame those that are only trying to make a living. Change cannot happen overnight. Mindsets and socio-economic conditions take time to change but we need to start now before we come to the point of no return for our marine life.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Jennifer Thompson
ORIGINAL PRESS REPORT -
Sunday May 8, 2011
SABAH MAY BE THE FIRST STATE TO BAN SHARK HUNTING
By MUGUNTAN VANAR
vmugu@thestar.com.my
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is likely to be the first state to ban shark hunting for their fins in a bid to protect the marine creature.
The state government is now studying the legal aspects of the proposed ban which would require amendments to the State Wildlife Protection Ordinance with the aim of introducing it by the end of the year.
State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said the situation was becoming critical for this marine creature as only 20% of its original population was still left in the country.
“From my last briefing, there are only four areas in Sabah where sharks can be spotted.
“If we don't do something about it, the population may disappear from our waters completely,” Masidi said yesterday.
Masidi said he was told by experts that the sharks no longer existed in peninsular Malaysia waters.
He said the state attorney-general was now studying the matter.
He added that the state government was working with non-governmental groups to educate the public on the need to protect sharks from “disappearing” entirely.
“We understand the sensitivities involved as it is a must for some people to serve shark fin soup during weddings. But what we are trying to do is to educate the people to skip the dish for conservation's sake,” he said, adding that it would also get Malaysia Airports Berhad to bar retailers from selling shark fins in airports in the state.
The state government, he added, had also taken shark fin soup off the menu of its official functions.
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