Beware silent waning of shark protection

Cramp, Jessica E.;Simpfendorfer, Colin A.;Pressey, Robert L.

Abstract

[Extract] On 2 October 2011, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) declared the world's largest shark sanctuary, adding 1,990,530 km2 to the rapidly expanding shark sanctuary movement. News outlets praised the policy, citing its widespread local support and protection laws, the strongest to date (1, 2). Moreover, it was hailed a substantial victory because the government chose to protect sharks despite pressures from politically influential fisheries and other interest groups (3). However, in 2016, mounting pressure from those same fishing interests convinced members of the government to weaken the sanctuary law (4), and the global conservation community has taken no action in response.

Journal

Science

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Volume

360

ISBN/ISSN

1095-9203

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Issue

6390

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Publisher

American Association for the Advancement of Science

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DOI

10.1126/science.aat3089