Malaysian Shark Week, Shark Fin Soup Free Sabah and Malaysian Airline Shark Fin Campaign
With local dive resorts, businesses and shark activists Shark Stewards is participating in a host of Malaysian Shark Week activities beginning August 30 to support Sabah Sharks and create action to save the marine health in this region and marine wildlife before it is too late. The National Malaysian Dive In for Sharks will include divers from around the country to dive and count sharks and rays and participate in underwater clean ups to support local conservation efforts on August 30.
Participating dive resorts and the Sabah Shark Protection Alliance, will conduct several activities during this week long series of national shark activities, to support shark, ray and coral reef habitat protection in Malaysia.
NOTE: The Shark Stewards letter writing and online petition resulted in a policy statement issued but Maylaysian Airlines Berhad that they will no longer carry shark fins, hunter trophys or endangered wildlife parts as cargo on any of their flights. We Won!
Read Press release here.
Petition
Tell Malaysia Air CEO Cristoph Mueller to join Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Air Asia and 22 other world airlines helping protect sharks by stopping the import/export of shark fins as cargo.
Sabah Shark Fin Soup and Fin Free Zone
Shark fin imports into Malaysia are increasing, making this small country number four in the shark fin trade says a 2012 study by TRAFFIC. Recent estimates suggest that Malaysia has moved into the number 2 position for shark fin imports following a decline in the Hong Kong shark fin re-export trade.
As the largest consumer of seafood in Southeast Asia, Sabah is a major seafood tourist destination and a significant source of shark fin consumption by vistors. That is why we are working to promote a Shark Fin Soup Free Zone in Sabah, Malaysia.
Learn about our Shark Sanctuary campaign on the series Borneo From Below tracking the shark fin trade, proving overfishing sharks in Malaysia and ceating marine protected areas for sharks and rays.
Malaysia Dive in For Sharks Day
On August 30, Shark Stewards launched a citizen scinece effort with partners Sciba Junkies on m=Mabul island in Semporna , with Conservation partner TRACC on Pom Pom Island, and media partner ScibaZoo diving in for sharks and rays. Divers from other resorts and operators around Sabah dived in and collected data on observations to help establish current population size and structure of sharks and rays.
