The Palau Shark Sanctuary (PSS) is in the Republic of Palau, an island nation in the Pacific Ocean that is located 805 km (500 miles) east of the Philippines. The nation is one of the newest in the world. It was formerly a United Nations Trust Territory, but became an independent republic in 1994 and it consists of approximately 200 small islands. This means that the water is the main part of the island nation and this water is home to many species of sharks and rays.
The sanctuary was founded in 2001 by Dermot Keane, who started out as a tourist to Palau and later worked for a local dive shop. Keane was deeply disturbed by the obvious shark finning that was taking place in the waters of Palau and together with the help of marine biologists, dive boat operators, dive instructors, and tour guides; he created the PSS in order to create a refuge for the sharks of Palau. The problem was that Palau was licensing foreign vessels to come into Palau waters to fish. These vessels were then finning sharks by the hundreds in a place that was rapidly becoming one of the most well-known places for shark encounters in the world.
The goals of the PSS are to raise awareness surrounding the issues of shark finning, to have shark finning stopped in the waters off Palau, and to make Palau's economic fishing zone a shark sanctuary. There are a number of programs run by the PSS, including educational programs to promote awareness of the issue of shark finning, support for international organizations working to protect sharks, to raise funds through the sale of PSS merchandise, to promote the Shark Awareness Visitor Education (SAVE), a program run by the Palau Conservation Society, to create and circulate shark conservation and awareness posters, and to support the International Year of the Shark 2009.
Palau's shark sanctuary was the first of its kind in the world and encompasses the waters of Palau and the nation's exclusive economic zone, which extends for 320 km (200 miles) from its coastline. The total area of the PSS is 600,000 square km (230,000 square miles). More than 130 species of sharks and rays are sheltered in the PSS, including black tip reef sharks, white tip reef sharks, hammerheads, leopard sharks, and a variety of stingrays too. All of the shark species are either vulnerable or endangered. Palau has heavy fines for any vessels found shark finning in their waters, but the problem is that Palau has only one boat with which to patrol the massive PSS. This is simply too difficult and flyovers often reveal vessels fishing illegally in Palau waters. While it is difficult to patrol the PSS adequately, the organization has been able to bring awareness to the issue of shark finning.
The protection of their sharks is important to Palau as well as to the rest of the world. The nation has become a Mecca for scuba divers and the tourist industry is growing rapidly. Divers go to Palau just to dive with the sharks in their natural habitat and the country has a healthy shark population. They just want to keep it that way and when shark fins are worth up to $700 USD per kilogram that is difficult to accomplish. Why are shark fins worth so much? Well, it is mostly for soup. Shark fin soup is a delicacy in China and has reached worldwide recognition. The problem is that sharks live a long time and have low fertility rates, which means they can be easily overfished.
The reality is that although Palau is having a hard time enforcing the regulations of the PSS, they have still set the bar for shark conservation on a worldwide scale. The sanctuary is clearly setting the standard for what it takes to protect sharks worldwide. Sharks are at the top of the food chain and play a vital role in the health of our oceans. Efforts must be put into place to ensure that they are protected so that they will be a vital and healthy part of the earth's oceans for centuries to come. Palau and its shark sanctuary have taken steps to ensure that happens.