Palau’s Sharks are worth $1.9 Million each

Sharks worth a stunning 17,000 times more alive than dead to Pacific island nation.

A new study by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) has found that during its full life one reef shark is worth $1.9 million to Palau in tourism revenue. Caught and sold for consumption the same shark would only fetch around $108.

Palau is one of the most progressive marine conservation nations in the world. In 2009 it declared it's waters a 'shark sanctuary' in a bid to arrest the sharp decline in shark population through overfishing and 'finning,' a cruel practice where sharks are caught, their fins sawed off and then thrown back into the water.
It has since declared whales, dolphins, and dugongs off-limits as well.
The report was commissioned by the Pew Environment Group to show that shark tourism can be a viable economic engine.

"Overfishing of sharks can have disastrous effects on ocean ecosystems, but this study provides a compelling case that can convince more countries to embrace these animals for their benefit to the ocean and their value to a country’s financial well-being," said their director of Global Shark Conservation, Matt Rand.
Shark tourism already brings in $18 million to the island nation a year (8% of the country's gross domestic product), making each shark worth around $180,000 annually.


Source: www.wanderlust.com.uk