AVILA GERALDINE
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Fisheries Department’s determination to analyse fish landing trends in the state is vital in the moves towards managing sharks and rays.
In lauding the effort, Sabah Shark Protection Association (SSPA) president Aderick Chong said results from the department’s study should be made available to the public.
“This includes detailed records from every fish market around Sabah, which will be invaluable for shark conservation programmes. We would welcome the opportunity to meet with the Fisheries Department to discuss the study and explore possibilities to ensure we have healthy shark and ray populations to keep our oceans in balance,” he said in a statement.
Last month, the department revealed the volume of shark and ray catches had dropped by nearly half from 3,431.58 tonnes in 2012 to 1,788.46 tonnes last year.
The department attributed this to security concerns in the east coast and the erratic weather patterns.
“While it is true that the fishing effort has reduced, it is SSPA’s firm belief that the existing threats to sharks, such as over-fishing and climate change, must not be discounted,” said Chong.
“The landing assessment is not fully representative of the population status of sharks in our waters, and further research on population dynamics, ecology, spawning and aggregation areas need to be encouraged.”
On this, Chong said there was a need to develop a bycatch mitigation plan that will ensure efficient fishery operations.
He also noted that allowing the taking of sharks would not protect the population of other fishes but rather cause imbalance in the ecosystem and impact fish stocks.
“It will also be disastrous for the tourism industry in Sabah. Thousands of people travel to the state each year to dive with sharks and rays, especially at Pulau Sipadan and Mabul.
“If the exploitation of sharks and rays continues to the point where they are not commonly encountered, Sabah risks losing the millions of ringgit brought to the state annually.
“This is particularly the case for species such as the scalloped hammerhead — a globally endangered species — which is one of the major draw cards for dive tourists coming to Sabah.
“That they are still seen here is incredible. Sabah waters may represent a last safe haven for these rare animals, and we should afford them more protection,” said Chong.
Sabah Fisheries Department has proposed four shark and two ray species be categorised as threatened under the Fisheries (Control of Endangered Species of Fish) Regulations 1999 and Fisheries Act 1985.
The sharks are Sphyrna mokarran (great hammerhead shark), Sphyrna zygaena (smooth hammerhead shark), Eusphyra blochii (winghead shark) and Carcharhinus longimanus (oceanic whitetip shark), while the rays are Manta birostris (oceanic manta) and Manta alfredi (reef manta).
At the moment, only whale sharks and sawfish ray species are listed as threatened under the Fisheries Act.