113 Concerned Parties Jointly Stands Up Against Lifting The 11-Year-Old Shark Fishery Ban In The Maldives

Answering a question posed to her by the Members of the Parliament at the Economic Affairs Committee of People’s Majilis, the Minister of Fisheries, Marine Resources & Agriculture, Ms. Zaha Waheed stated that discussions were underway to legalize shark fishing and trading in the Maldives citing that sharks posed a threat to all types of fishes due to the preying habits whereas complaints have arisen recently regarding the increase of the shark population in general and them preying on the catch of fishermen. Immediately, this has become the hottest debated across social media platforms.

Today, 133 concerned parties – 55 local non-profit groups and tourism-related businesses and 58 international organizations – have released a joint statement together urging the government authorities to not lift the shark fishing and trading ban that have been in place for 11 years.

In this statement, it was highlighted that our island nation had declared a climate emergency whereas it is inconsistent for the country to undermine its position as a safe haven for sharks which play a vital role in maintaining the health of the marine environment of the archipelago.

They are also calling upon the government to uphold the rule of law to enforce the legal protections for sharks, and for timely, transparent investigations of:

- The attempted illegal export of 429 kg of shark fins seized by the Maldives Customs Service on 3 January 2021 at Velana International Airport;

- The vessel that was apprehended by Maldives Police Service carrying a large number of sharks and shark products in South Ari Atoll on 23 March 2021; and 

- The illegal drum fishing line discovered by a tourist at the popular dive site, Fish Head in North Ari Atoll with several hooked sharks on 24 March 2021. 

The parties stress that the Maldives is comprised of 99% water and 1% land whereas the good health of the ocean is integral for its survival. Moreover, at this time the country is already brawling with multiple crises including but not limited to; the Covid-19 pandemic, economic crisis; the climate crisis and ecological crises – multiplying existing threats.