British Virgin Islands declare sanctuary for sharks
The British Virgin Islands has declared its territorial waters a sanctuary for all shark species to help protect the marine predators whose global numbers have been dramatically dwindling.
The British Virgin Islands has declared its territorial waters a sanctuary for all shark species to help protect the marine predators whose global numbers have been dramatically dwindling.
Kedrick Pickering, minister for natural resources, said the loss of sharks disrupts the predator-prey balance, compromising the health of oceans and reefs and the survival of other marine creatures. "The best way to manage their populations is to let them fulfil their ecological role as apex predators," Pickering said.
Shark fishing has grown rapidly in recent decades, driven by rising demand, mainly in China, for shark fin soup. Because of their long life spans and low fertility rates, sharks are highly vulnerable to overfishing. Experts say about 100 million sharks are killed each year in commercial fisheries around the globe.
The British Virgin islands said it is also protecting rays, whose numbers have fallen sharply.
The sanctuary announcement was applauded by the territory's most famous resident, British tycoon Richard Branson.