First ever shark santurary in Palau

The president of Palau, Johnson Toribiong, announced to the UN on Friday that his country was creating the first ever shark sanctuary and banning all commercial hunting off Palau's waters; roughly the size equivalent to France. Touribiong stated that the

"need to protect the sharks outweighs the need to enjoy a bowl of soup"

This comment refers to the practice of finning which is a method of hunting sharks. The fins of the shark are cut off while it is still alive at sea and the creature is left to drown. The fins are then sold in markets as a commodity. An estimated 100 million sharks are murdered each year and current evidence suggests all shark species are either threatened or close to being threatened. If action is not taken soon to protect the shark, the numerous species of shark will face extinction.

Environmentalists are praising Palau's stance on protecting the sharks of the ocean and hopefully more nations will start looking into the population status of this creature, which has inhabited our planet since the time of the dinosaurs, with more urgency.

To read more, please follow this link: BBC News