MALE, Maldives (15 July 2005) -- Dive operators in the Maldives have blamed the government for failing to protect sharks. Every day, 12 local fishing boats kill as many as 25 sharks, which amounts to an annual loss to the Maldives marine ecosystem of nearly 10,000 animals. Dive operators and resort owners have demanded the government ban shark fishing to help declining shark stocks recover. So far, the government has acknowledged there is a problem but has not acted to impose long overdue restrictions on the fishing industry. Many in the tourism industry believe that if the government of the Maldives delays much longer, it will be too late to protect sharks as well as the dive tourism industry, which relies to a great extent on its reputation for frequent shark encounters. | | Tourism generates 70 percent of Maldives' foreign exchange reserves. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORK |
