http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14040902
The Bahamas has banned shark fishing in its waters and prohibited the sale, import and export of shark products. Plus nice fines for those that break the law!
Though it is a pretty understandable move from the Bahamas as the sharks are very valuable to their economy alive - according to the report $250,000 to the economy from each reef shark is not bad and they are home to a lot of reef sharks!
Just need more places to follow suit and stop pandering to certain nations demand for an unsustainable product that is threatening the entire marine ecosystem.
Millie & Fly the Border Collies
It's strange how many contries allow people hunt and kill species or do little about wildlife crime to amimals that must be far more valuble alive, for most of these countries tourism has to be the biggest income with the correct policies and marketing these countries could increase their economy dramatically
Malta has to be one of these countries!
On another note, I wonder how much the Scilliy Isles make in extra revenue due to birdwatchers making trips for rareites!
H
The Bahamas has protected their sharks for a while, must be at least a decade since the first protection for their sharks became law, this is really the last bit to giving sharks full protection in their waters. It has been gradual, but far faster than anything the UK or Europe has done (which is pretty much nothing). Now we need to do some major catching up and give our sharks the protection they need! Because, sadly, we are one of those countries that are slaughtering animals that are far more valuable alive. Shark tag-and-release fishing is becoming increasingly popular (and provides some data on shark movements), basking sharks are an obvious draw (though protected in the UK, it is pretty pointless when they can still be caught over in France!) to parts of Cornwall, Isle of Man and the West Coast of Scotland and cage diving hasn't really started to take off yet but there are a few places where it can be done, not to mention the popularity of marine aquariums. Yet certain fishermen are still able to go out and catch entire schools of porbeagles, get their hideous grinning mugs (the fisherman that is) over the papers and gloat about the mass murder of the critically endangered subpopulation in the northeast Atlantic.
The Bahamas must think we are savages in comparison...