In addition to becoming an exotic diving spot, the Raja Ampat national park in West Papua, is also known as a place where fishermen hunt sharks for its fins.
On Saturdy last week, a dive master in Raja Ampat discovered a dead grey shark without its fins. Hananta, a senior diver and member of the Indonesia Diving Sport Association (POSSI), suspected that the shark was hunted and killed for its fins.
“I suspected that the poor shark was butchered by fishermen for its fins because it costs a lot of money,” Hananta said to Tempo on Tuesday, December 30, 2015.
Hananta said that the shark was found 15 meters below the surface at Blue Magic Point, one of the diving spots in Raja Ampat. Hananta argued that shark should be protected because many divers love to see sharks when they dive. Hananta added that the government should apply stringent provisions for fishing permit for fishermen in Raja Ampat because the area has been named as a national park.
“If there are many sharks in an area, it must have good coral reefs and clean water, as a result the ecological condition of the area would be good,” Hananta explained. TEMPO