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Photo Credit: Jeff Kubina

Palau, an island nation located some 500 miles east of the Philippines in the Pacific Ocean, is one of the world’s youngest and smallest sovereign states. With about 200 small islands, and 16 states, Palau’s rich culture and tradition make the location a sought after destination for visitors. However, there are certain visitors that the government is concerned about losing, such as their neighborhood sharks. So, in order to protect their sharp-toothed friends, they have recently created the world’s first shark sanctuary that will protect the declining fish in their waters from commercial fishing.

Due to the Asian delicacy, shark-fin soup, sharks are constantly being threatened and are coming close to the entering the list of extinction. In order to save the species from their demise, Palau has turned it territorial waters (230,000 square miles) – an area the size of France, into a shark-hunting free zone. With an estimated 130 rare shark and stingray species that live in or pass through its waters, Palau has taken huge strides in shark protection.

In order to enforce the new laws protecting the sharks, Palau will heavily fine any boats caught with sharks or shark parts on board. However, it will be difficult to control, as the country only has one patrol boat to monitor its large expanse of water.

Though it may be extremely difficult to keep tabs on all fishing boats in the country’s waters, Palau has taken an important step in the right direction and is being applauded by conservationists around the globe for their “pioneering move.”

To read more about Palau’s shark sanctuary click here.