Shark vital to Sabah's diving industry: Masidi

KOTA KINABALU: Sharks are vital to Sabah's diving industry and most divers who come to Sabah want to see the species, says State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun.
He said the diving industry earned the state about RM364 million last year.
"Imagine if we killed all the sharks for their fins, obviously fewer divers would come to Sabah because they can no longer find and see sharks and it would affect the diving industry," he told reporters here, today.
Masidi was commenting on Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek's statement that it was unnecessary to ban shark hunting and the finning industry as these did not exist in this country.
However, Masidi said the Sabah government had proposed to ban shark hunting and the finning industry as it wished to protect and conserve the fish for future generations.
He said the ban also would not be enforced immediately as the state government was considering to educate the public on shark protection and conservation as well as give ample time for stakeholders to prepare themselves. — Bernama