Sharks have faced decades of exploitation for their meat and fins, and populations in Southeast Asia continue to decline. Learning from conservation success stories in the region could be the key to protecting Southeast Asia’s sharks.
Protecting the places sharks live
Sharks need safe spaces to thrive, such as Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in the Philippines, a Marine Protected Area (MPA) which spans over 100,000 football fields in size. Surveys reveal that the park hosts some of the highest densities of reef sharks in the world. This conservation success is attributed to its large size, remote location and ban on fishing activity.
Globally, more sharks are caught incidentally by fisheries than are actively targeted, so the absence of all fishing activity at Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park allows sharks to proliferate. Many MPAs are called ‘paper parks’, because they are legally designated but not effectively enforced. A recent global assessment in 2023 found that at least 27 per cent of assessed MPAs are likely paper parks. However, Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park benefits from year-round patrols and enforcement, supported by the conservation fees paid by tourists. This commitment to enforcement, which deters illegal activity, has been key to the park’s conservation success.
Using technology to stop the illegal shark trade
While it is preferable to keep sharks alive through habitat protection, many are inevitably caught by fisheries and traded across borders. Contrary to popular belief, not all species of shark are illegal to trade, but over 100 species are listed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (or CITES), meaning their international trade is regulated. Enforcement efforts at borders are essential to catch illegal trade of these particular species and deter future attempts.
When it comes to the shark fin trade, it is difficult to determine legality as the fins are separated from the body, making species identification challenging. As a result, hauls of illegal fins often make it across borders. Technology has become an ally in this battle; including the mobile application ‘Fin Finder’ which was launched in Singapore in 2022. Enforcement officers can upload a photo of a fin into the app, which analyses its shape and patterns, giving near-instant results on the species. In Hong Kong, which is renowned for being one of the largest traders of shark fin, DNA analysis is used to determine if fins are from illegal species. This has helped with record-breaking seizures, including fins from an estimated 38,500 endangered sharks in 2020.
Rewilding our ocean
Zebra sharks are among the many species that have faced huge declines over the years. ReShark, a pioneering rewilding initiative, aims to release 500 captive-bred zebra sharks back into the wild to help revive their populations. Egg-cases from this species are sourced from aquariums around the world and shipped to the popular dive destination of Raja Ampat in Indonesia. Here, the eggs hatch, and baby sharks are trained to forage for food in tanks and ‘grow-out’ pens on shallow reefs, before being released into the sea after three to four months. So far, a handful of sharks have undergone this process.
Key to this project’s success is the chosen rewilding site: Raja Ampat boasts multiple large MPAs where fishing is prohibited, and the archipelago is also an official shark sanctuary where sharks cannot be harvested. This strong commitment from the government to protect the area means that released sharks have a high chance of survival – something which would not be guaranteed in many other areas in Southeast Asia. Replication of such an initiative therefore requires careful consideration, but there is the potential to expand this effort to other species and areas under the right conditions.
Where do we go from here?
Considerable work is needed to reach a point where sharks are safe in Southeast Asia’s seas. But investment in this space will reap rewards: sharks are known as ‘umbrella species’, meaning they have large home-ranges and co-occur alongside other species, thus the benefits of protecting them and their habitats extend to other marine life as well. Alongside shark-specific conservation measures, a drastic reduction in the amount of fishing activity in Southeast Asia in general will help species and habitats recover.
Opportunities for intervention are plenty and can be overwhelming, but a potential focal point for stakeholders is the recent designation of over 70 ‘Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs)’ throughout Southeast Asia by leading shark experts. These ISRAs represent critical habitats, such as for reproduction, feeding, or migration, that should be actively conserved, for example by being incorporated into the designs of new MPAs. With recent global commitments to protect 30 percent of the ocean by 2030, momentum to scale spatial protection is underway. Now we just need the political willpower, funding, and lessons from past failures and successes, to make sure it is done effectively.
Naomi Clark-Shen is the ocean-Climate science lead at Rumah Foundation.
