Palau Shark Week Opens – Govt places high value on shark conservation

Palau Shark Week was officially opened this weekend by Palau’s Minister of State, Sandra Pierantozzi, who showed that the Palauan Governement places a high value on conserving its precious marine environment and in particular its sharks.

SOSF project leader Tova Bornovski introduced Francis Toribiong, a Micronesian Shark Foundation board member, who shared some insights on how the idea of a shark sanctuary was initiated. The sanctuary was established last year with a complete ban on all shark fishing in Palauan waters. Palau was the first country in the world to take such bold measures to protect sharks, whose numbers are drastically declining.

Also present for the opening was Finny the Shark, who teaches local kids about the importance of sharks. The night was attended by a diverse audience, including several Government officials, the Palau Conservation Society and keen SCUBA divers from all around the world.