Shark sanctuary campaigner calls for effort to preserve Pacific ecosystem
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E-mail Xinhua, January 16, 2013
A New Zealand marine scientist who successfully campaigned for the creation of the world's largest shark sanctuary in the Cook Islands says sharks will soon be able to swim through a band of protected areas in the tropical Pacific region, although the species is still at risk from overfishing elsewhere in the Pacific.
Last month, the Cook Islands government declared the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 1.997 million square kilometers, an area the size of Mexico, a sanctuary for sharks and rays and introduced the world's toughest shark conservation penalties.
Minister of Marine Resources Teina Bishop announced the shark sanctuary regulations, saying the people of the Cook Islands could "feel very proud that our nation is now a global leader in environment protection."
It was the culmination of an 18-month grassroots campaign led by Stephen Lyon, founder of the Rarotonga-based Pacific Islands Conservation Initiative (PICI), who was alarmed at the decline in shark numbers due to the growing demand for shark fins.
However, Lyon told Xinhua on Wednesday that more international cooperation was needed to manage fisheries across the vast Pacific Ocean.
The Cook Islands sanctuary followed steps by Palau and French Polynesia to protect sharks, and would eventually become part of a tropical band of sanctuaries in the EEZs of Pacific Island nations, said Lyon.
"The real problem areas are north and south of the tropics, where large stretches of International waters are fished by distant water fishing nations, with little regard for sustainability and by catch management," Lyon said in an e-mail interview.
"In the long term all commercially targeted fish, including shark, will need much more stringent management in these international waters. Shark and billfish are particularly vulnerable to overfishing in these areas as they migrate from tropical to temperate waters."
The Cook Islands government imposed tough penalties, ranging from 100,000 to 250,000 NZ dollars (83,977 to 209,943 U.S. dollars) per offense for both the master and the owner of the offending vessel, with the forfeiture of a valuable Cook Islands fishing license for a repeat offense.
"An offense is deemed to be any shark part found, so a few fins could be prosecuted as several offences," said Lyon.
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