Paying attention: more countries call for protection of sharks

Sharks, like wolves in Yellowstone, are efficient and important primary predators. Losing sharks could cause widespread ecological change, at a time when oceans are stressed (as some reports have shown), so it's important to stop finning and cut down on the shark catch overall.

Sensing the problem and paying attention to it, several Pacific countries have called for increased protection for sharks. I gotta applaud that action.

Pacific Island Countries Step Up Shark Conservation Efforts

“Pacific islanders are again taking the global lead in initiatives to safeguard sharks from overfishing,” said Matt Rand, director of Global Shark Conservation for the Pew Environment Group. “The decision reached in Palau, home of the first Pacific shark sanctuary, underscores the growing momentum for conserving these animals across the region and sends another signal to the rest of the world that more needs to be done.”