Pacific Nation Creates World’s Largest Shark Sanctuary

The Marshall Islands, a small archipelago nation in the Pacific Ocean, has established what will become the world’s largest shark sanctuary, banning commercial shark fishing across 750,000 square miles of ocean — an area eight times as large as the UK — and outlawing the trade in shark products. In addition to a ban on shark fishing, the legislation bans the use of certain fishing gear in national waters. Government leaders say protection of sharks and rays is critical to the small nation’s tourism-driven economy. “There is no greater statement we can make about the importance of sharks to our culture, environment and economy,” said Senator Tony deBrum, a member of the Marshall Islands parliament and co-sponsor of the legislation. The Marshall Islands follow Palau, which established a nationwide shark sanctuary in 2009. Scientists say that more than a third of the world’s 1,044 shark species are threatened with extinction, with millions of sharks slaughtered annually to feed a thriving global market for their fins, used in shark fin soup. The new protected zone expands the total area worldwide where sharks are protected from 2.7 million square kilometers to 4.6 million square kilometers.