The entirety of the Republic of the Maldives’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) was named a shark sanctuary in 2010, becoming the second nation to do so, after Palau. By prohibiting all targeted shark fishing in its territorial waters, a swath of the Indian Ocean the size of Maine is now off limits and has been converted into protected waters for over 30 species of sharks including the scalloped hammerhead and oceanic whitetip sharks. In addition, the Maldives now also bans the import and export of all shark fins. Not only does this designation promote the conservation of sharks, but supports a growing sector of ‘shark tourism’ for the Maldives, an area renowned for its diving and diverse marine life.

For more information:

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2010/03/12/sharks_receive_indian_ocean_sa/

http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/about/news-room/press-releases/2010/03/02/pew-applauds-maldives-indian-ocean-shark-sanctuary

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-08/p-tma080514.php

 

 

from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_sanctuary