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Sharks at Risk in the Maldives
Globally, over 100 million sharks are killed annually, often as by-catch, but primarily just to satisfy the demand for shark fin soup, which is at an all-time high. As affluence grows in Asia, so does the market for luxury items. One recent study estimated that fins from between 26 and 73 million sharks are traded globally each year, while re-ported world trade in fins has nearly tripled. During the finning process, a shark is hauled up on deck, its fins sliced off, and the animal, many times still alive, is thrown back into the sea to die a slow death. This practice is not only cruel; it is also incredibly wasteful and unsustainable and rapidly depletes these top predators from our oceans. The consequences of this for the whole marine environment will be disastrous.
The number of sharks deliberately killed for their fins (and to a much lesser extent for their meat and oil) has been a great concern in the Maldives as well. The killing has resulted in a severe decline in the number of shark sightings in most atolls over the last few years, which continues to be a big disappointment to resort guests, many of whom visit hoping to see these animals.
Together with local activists, nearby resorts and inter-national conservation groups, Soneva Fushi has been working to get a nationwide ban on shark fishing imposed. The resort sent out emails and letters to nearly 90 tourist re-sorts, 70 dive centres, approx. 300 travel agents in the Maldives and tour operators worldwide, hoping to get their support for the campaign. It also developed informative leaflets, funded a TV campaign and initiated discussions with local authorities to highlight the detrimental effects of shark-fishing to marine ecosystems and the tourism and fishing industries.
The struggle is not yet won, but progress in the right direction was made in March 2009, when the killing of reef sharks all over the Maldives was prohibited. The ban will be extended to all of the country’s territorial waters in 2010, thereby paving the way to a complete ban on the export of all shark products.
 (1.68 MB) Baa Atoll Project overview
(800 KB) Baa Atoll Project Leaflet April 2008
(789 KB) Fishing Trip Chart
(615 KB) Sharks at Risk poster
(49 KB) Shark Conservation in Maldives
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