The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Republic of Palau to protect sharks in the country’s territorial waters.
The direct action marine wildlife conservation group said it has a long history of collaboration directly with national governments to oppose illegal fishing. Its first such agreement was in the Galapagos Islands; the organisation has been working in partnership with the Galapagos National Park and the Ecuadorian Environmental Police to protect the waters of the Galapagos Marine Reserve for 11 years.
The MOA with Palau gives Sea Shepherd power to work directly with the country’s Division of Marine Law Enforcement (DMLE) to patrol and defend a unique marine protected area — the world’s first shark sanctuary.
“[Palauan] President Johnson Toribiong has led the world in taking action to protect sharks, and his establishment of a shark and marine mammal sanctuary is a call to action for other nations to defend diminishing populations of marine species,” Sea Shepherd´s Founder and President Captain Paul Watson stated.
Watson and CEO Steve Roest recently visited Toribiong and his Council of Chiefs to sign the agreement.
Direct Resource Link // FIS WorldNews