Palau creates world's first 'shark sanctuary'

Palau: The Pacific nation of Palau, some 800 kilometres east of the Philippines and 3,200 kilometres south of Tokyo, proposes to create the first natural 'shark sanctuary' of its kind in the world by banning commercial fishing of all sharks in its waters.

Johnson Toribiong, president of the island republic, was yesterday formally expected to announce the ban at the United Nations General Assembly, said Carl-Gustaf Lundin, head of marine conservation at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Shark populations are in danger of collapse along with salmon and tuna commercial fisheries because of scant protective measures.

Great whites, hammerheads and a third of deep-sea sharks and rays face extinction as fishing fleets trawling worldwide seek them for meat and fins, according to the Gland, Switzerland-based IUCN conservation group.

"The situation for sharks at the moment is catastrophic," Lundin said in a telephone interview. "Their populations around the world are at risk of collapse."

Palau, with 20,000 inhabitants spread over about 200 islands, will create a France-sized area of sea banning shark hunting. The Palau Shark Sanctuary has sought creation of a protective zone for eight years to help preserve the predatory fish and support local tourism, the group's website said.

Sharks often become snared in nets meant for tuna, which remain in high demand. About 10.7 million blue sharks are killed annually for their fins, according to a June report from IUCN, adding many sharks are reeled in in international waters where national governments have no regulatory powers.