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Pacific lawmakers are calling for an ocean wide protection of sharks, stomach a move that the Pew Charitable Trusts says underscores the Pacific’s growing commitment to end unsustainable shark fishing.
A resolution approved by the Association of Pacific Island Legislatures (APIL) is requesting all Pacific Island jurisdictions to end unsustainable commercial shark fishing by creating a Pacific Islands regional shark sanctuary.
The sanctuary if created would make the Pacific the largest shark sanctuary in the world as it encompasses nearly one-quarter of the Earth’s surface.
The sanctuary according to PEW would extend from Palau to Hawaii in the North Pacific, capsule and New Caledonia to French Polynesia in the South.
The resolution further calls on more Pacific leaders to join in the regional effort.
PEW’s Shark Policy Expert Angelo Villagomez, who made a presentation to APIL members during their recent meeting in Hawaii, expressed excitement for calls to expand shark protection saying the members of APIL are conservation trailblazers.
