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KOTA KINABALU: The federal government lauds Sabah’s move to ban shark hunting for its fins.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Datuk Chua
Tee Yong praised the effort of the state government in protecting the
ecosystem here by initiating a proper legislation to eventually ban the
consumption of shark fins.
“The action taken shows just how committed the state government is
in its environmental protection and conservation efforts,” he said after
opening the fifth International Symposium for the Development of
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for sustainable agriculture in Asia and
Africa here yesterday.
Although it was still a personal choice for consumers whether or not
to consume shark fins, Chua disagreed with the way the fins were
removed and hopes more people would not consume shark fins.
Chua also said while the state government of Sabah has acted on the
matter, the ban on hunting sharks for its fins may not be feasible in
the peninsula for now.
“The ministry cannot make a decision whether or not to ban shark
hunting because we have to discuss with the Natural Resources and
Environment Ministry.
“And, we also have to present papers to the Cabinet before any decision is made,” he said.
Earlier it has been reported that Sabah was likely to be the first
state to ban shark hunting for their fins in a bid to protect the marine
creature.
The state government is in the midst now studying the legal aspects
of the proposed ban which would require amendments to the State Wildlife
Protection Ordinance.
Sabah’s Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi
Manjun had been quoted as saying the situation is becoming critical for
this marine creature as only 20% of its original population is still
left in the country.
“From my last briefing, there are only four areas in Sabah where
sharks can be spotted. And, if we don’t do something about it, the
population may disappear from our waters completely,” he said.
Masidi also said he was told by experts that the sharks no longer existed in Peninsular Malaysia waters.
He said the state attorney-general is now studying the matter.
The state government, Masidi added, had also taken shark fin soup off the menu of its official functions.
Source: New Sabah Times
11 comments:
Setakat ni, adakah semua hotel di Sabah ni sudah menghentikan penyediaan menu yang berasaskan ikan yu?
I thought no shark in Sabah:)
Offenders can be jailed for up to three years or fined 30,000 ringgit ($9,816).
Environmentalists have been encouraging restaurants to stop serving shark dishes. They say 98% of sharks have been killed in South-East Asia mostly for their fins.
The annual world trade in shark fins is estimated at 2.5 billion ringgit. We hope all restaurants can stop serving shark dishes.
The state government is standing firm on its decision that shark hunting and fining activities in Sabah must be banned.
Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said the proposal for the total ban had been brought to the state cabinet which unanimously agreed to the prohibition of such activities.
“There are no two ways about that and we have made our stand before. The state government has made a decision and we hope the federal government will respect that decision,” he said during a courtesy call by representatives from NGOs who would be participating in the shark ban public forum in Semporna.
The state government, he added, was ready to help push for the ban to be implemented.
According to Masidi, the law banning shark hunting and fining had to be incorporated into federal law, which was why the state government had asked its federal counterpart to look into the provision of its Fisheries Act.
On worries by retailers, restaurateurs and fishermen whose income depended on sharks, Masidi said the state government was a responsible one and would ensure that these people had ample time to adjust to the ban on their activities.
“I still hope that those who oppose the banning of shark hunting and fining will see the benefits of this. They must realize that if there are no more sharks in Sabah, many more people will lose their jobs and businesses.
The scuba diving industry is a multi-million dollar one and its spin-off into other areas of the tourism sector like food and beverage is also huge. No more sharks means no divers will come to Sabah and then who will patronize their business premises?
Masidi also lauded the initiative by the group to start a petition for the setting up of a Semporna Shark Sanctuary and was of the opinion that it was a good step towards the ban on shark hunting and fining activities.
the sad thing is you can still find shark fin being served. In citymall alone, there are two shops selling shark fin. One a chinese eatery (shark fin soup) and another Japanese eatery. Depressing indeed.
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