Malaysia: SSPA welcomes protection of four shark, two ray species under amended regulations

Avila Geraldin New Straits Times 21 Jul 19;

KOTA KINABALU: Four species of shark and two species of ray have been listed as endangered under newly amended Fisheries (Control of Endangered Species of Fish) (Amendment) Regulations 2019.

The federal government gazette, which could be found on http://www.federalgazette.agc.gove.my, mentioned about six new items inserted after subheading “Species under the Sawfish group”.

The newly listed species under the Shark group are Sphyrna mokarran (great hammerhead shark), Sphyrna zygaena (smooth hammerhead shark), Eusphyra blochii (winghead shark) and the Carcharhinus longimanus (oceanic whitetip shark).

The species under the Ray group are Manta birostris (oceanic manta) and Manta alfredi (reef manta). The amended regulations come into operation on 17 July 2019.

In welcoming the new amendment, Sabah Shark Protection Association (SSPA) chairman Aderick Chong said they were glad that the federal fisheries department saw the importance of protecting more shark and ray species.

“However, this amendment only protects the six (shark and ray species). This means that fishermen need to know how to identify these species and release them when caught.

“The authorities need to constantly check landing points in Sabah and must be able to identify them too. Are we able to do all of these?" he told New Straits Times when contacted today.

Over the years, the association has been aggressive in pushing for shark conservation and for the government to list all shark and ray species under the regulations.

This is following the many incidences of shark and ray bycatch as well as finning, particularly in the state's east coast – areas known for scuba diving activity due to the rich marine biodiversity.

Noting there are still fishermen who cut off the shark heads and dump them back into the sea, Chong said the authority should make sure shark and ray protection is enforced effectively.

He also reiterated for the government to continue protecting all shark and ray species and to ban shark fin trade.

Prior to the amendment, only whale sharks and sawfishes are listed as threatened under the Fisheries (Control of Endangered Species of Fish) Regulations 1999, Fisheries Act 1985.

For the past years, the Sabah fisheries department, under the state Agriculture and Food Industry Ministry, has proposed four shark and two ray species, which have been listed under Fisheries Acts and the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) 2008, to be categorised as threatened under the Fisheries Acts 1985.