Sharks get a reprieve in the Maldives

i-309a88537ca4529639c6ad943ff33c12-201003151611.jpg

The Maldive Islands played a crucial role in Darwin's long argument about coral reef genesis. It's nice to see them now play a crucial role in shark conservation by making the entire archipelago -- roughly the area of Maine, but warmer and wetter -- a shark sanctuary.

From Sharks receive Indian Ocean sanctuary in the Maldives - NatGeo News Watch

The Maldives has become the second nation to proclaim complete protection for sharks in its territorial waters.

The cabinet "decided to enforce the decision on banning shark hunting in the Maldives beginning from 1 March 2010. It was also decided that the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture would assist shark fishermen to find alternative livelihood," the Maldives President's Office declared in a news statement this week.

More like this

The Australian has a daily column called Cut and Paste which is usually a collection of quotes from recent opinion columns in other papers. But like every other part of the paper, it has been used in their unending war on science. Look at the November 12 edition of "Cut and Paste": ABC Radio's…
One of our longtime heros of Shifting Baselines is Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist Mark Dowie. In this recent essay he takes the Bush administration to task over their plans for large scale (too large?) aquaculture. What he notes is that, "while the U.S. Congress recently passed amendments to…
This just out from NOAA: As record ocean temperatures cause widespread coral bleaching across Hawaii, NOAA scientists confirm the same stressful conditions are expanding to the Caribbean and may last into the new year, prompting the declaration of the third global coral bleaching event ever on…
Anyone who follows me on twitter has probably noticed a lot of tweets about a shark fin bill that was being reviewed in Hawaii. I am glad to inform you that this historic bill has just passed the legislature. It's but a signature by Governor Lingle away from being enacted into law! Of the 307 shark…