Call for shark sanctuaries to boost Sabah tourism

KOTA KINABALU: Banning shark finning alone is not a solution, according to a tourism player.

“What we need are shark sanctuaries in different parts of Sabah where everyone is involved and this includes fishermen who rely on catching sharks to put food on the table,” said Tourism Malaysia diving adviser Clement Lee.

He said a long-term education approach was also crucial for the killing of sharks to be stopped, alongside other initiatives such as convincing the federal government to exclude sharks from the licence allowing fishermen to catch any species that they wish to.

“Value and revenue of sharks that are kept alive far surpass as compared to those killed for their fins and meat,” he said in a statement issued by the Sabah Shark Protection Association yesterday.

Lee said divers get excited at the prospect of seeing sharks in their natural habitat, such as the school of Hammerhead sharks in Sipadan and this translates into ringgit and sen, and jobs.

“When sharks are slaughtered, there is very little value. In the case of whale sharks, there is no value as people do not even eat the meat. The value is in seeing them alive,” he added.

Lee who was one of the pioneers in Sabah’s diving sector when he ventured into the business in 1983, believed, based on his extensive diving experience spanning over 30 years, shark numbers have dwindled including in waters close to Pulau Mantanani in Kota Belud.

Recently, the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) called on members and partners to boycott restaurants that offer shark fins soup in their menus, pointing out that sharks attracted over 55,000 divers to Sabah and generated RM323 million in economic revenue. - Bernama