KOTA KINABALU: Action needs to be taken to protect the local shark population which is dwindling, especially in Sabah.
State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said there were certain species of sharks that needed to be protected and these should be included in existing law such as the Fisheries Act.
“Actually they don’t even have to amend the act but have a discussion to include certain categories of sharks that should be fully protected.
“In my opinion, it doesn’t have to go to the parliament because this is just a question of gazetting…There is a Fisheries Act which is enforceable in Sabah but the act doesn’t provide this (ban on shark hunting).”
He told reporters this after launching the Borneo Beads Carnival at the Sabah Museum today.
Masidi was commenting on Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek’s recent statement that there was no need to ban shark fishing as unlike tuna fishing, there was no shark hunting industry in the country.
“The fact that there is no shark fishing industry will be a good reason for us to ban it because that means there’s minimal economic repercussions to those involved in the trade,” he added.
Masidi said if shark hunting was not controlled, it would also affect the tourism industry as there were many tourists and divers who visited Sabah to see sharks in the wild.