SEVENSEAS Marine Conservation & Travel Issue 13, June 2016 | Page 111

Sharks and rays are being wiped out throughout the region. A market survey conducted by TRAFFIC estimates that 90-99% of sharks are gone from waters in the region. Internationally the shark fin trade- driven by the demand the delicacy shark fin soup- has wiped out populations of large sharks and demand of shark fin and consumption of shark fin soup is high in Malaysia. A demand for dried gills- a Chinese Traditional Medicine- is killing off eagle rays and the giant manta rays.

Conservation groups like ours have urged the government to increase marine protected areas including cessation of fishing inside the MPAS. A large MPA exists at the Tun Sakaran Marine Park in the Semporna islands but subsistence fishing pressure, including harmful fish bombing is killing sharks and the reef. Because of the protection and military presence at Sipadan, the population of sharks is relatively robust and reef sharks are common, as well as seasonally migratory sharks like whale sharks and hammerheads. Sea turtles are also protected and nest on the beaches, and are abundant in Sipadan waters and a delight to dive with. Coral cover and biodiversity is high along the Sipadan shallows, and spectacular walls plunge into the abyss. Since April 2008, Sabah Parks Sipadan has instituted a permit system allowing only 120 divers per day to the island, and divers compete for the opportunity to obtain permits.

Once responsible for the decline in coral and reef species, tourism might be the saving hope for Sipadan and some of the other less impacted islands. Resort operators like the ones I visited- Scuba Junkie on Mabul, and Sea Ventures, a modified oil rig off Mabul -have taken leadership in treating waste and educating locals as well as visiting divers on the need to protect the Semporna islands and sharks. Scuba Junkie is one of the founding members of a local conservation organization called the Sabah Shark Protection Association and conducts regular education and conservation activities with local people as well as tourists. These operators recognize that sharks are worth far more alive than dead and if divers want to see sharks, sharks must be protected. An economic study by the Australia Institute of Marine Science estimates the value of one Sabah reef shark to be worth $815,000 US to the local economy through dive tourism services. This value mirrors a similar study in the island nation of Palau placing the value of one shark to the island economy at $1.9 million in its lifetime. Recognizing the vast importance of sharks and other marine species to the longevity of the countries natural resources, Palau announced itself a shark sanctuary eliminating all killing of sharks, and in 2015 declared 80% of its waters off limits to fishing. It is hoped that Malaysia will follow this example before it is too late.

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