Maldives adopts blanket shark-fishing ban

Since its adoption in 1998, the moratorium covered seven atolls - but now it extends to 12 nautical miles off any Maldives land mass.

The Maldivian Government has taken the step in the face of evidence that shark populations in the area have come under threat from fishing practices, with takes exceeding sharks' abilities to reproduce.

Abdullah Nasir, the Fisheries Ministry's Permanent Secretary, said: "The fisheries law clearly tells us that we can protect any marine species if we feel that it's threatened or endangered for any reason."

The Maldives is a draw for diving tourists, attracted by its reputation for healthy populations of sharks, in particular hammerheads.

Acknowledging that the islands' shark groups are "very important for tourism", Nasir added that his ministry was "working towards" enshrining the moratorium permanently in law, with the aim of banning shark-fishing and the export of shark products within the next year.

Conservationists have welcomed the move - but caution that effects should be monitored. Maldivian reef ecologist Marie Saleem, while welcoming the Government's announcement, said that reef shark populations will require careful assessment to determine the effect of the moratorium and any subsequent statutory ban.