Rampant shark hunting and trading in Cebu has pushed environment advocates to stage the country’s first “Shark Summit” next month to revive a national plan of action (NPA) for the protection of endangered shark species.
The summit scheduled on August 14 and 15 at the Cebu Capitol Social Hall will bring together different stakeholders working for shark conservation policy, scientific research, local and national decision-makers, and businesses. It will also coincide with the worldwide observance of the Shark Week starting August 10.
Vince Cinches, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Ocean Campaigner and other summit organizers met with Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III yesterday to drum up support for the event.
Cinches told the governor that “Cebu is leading the way” for other local government units (LGU) in the country in terms of crafting legislation for the protection of sharks and ensuring its enforcement.
Hotels, Resorts and Restaurant Association of Cebu (HRRAC) president Cenelyn Manguilimotan, lawyer Gloria Estenzo-Ramos of the Philippine Earth Justice Center and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR-7) Regional Director Andres Bojos were also present in the meeting with the governor.
Davide said he would ask the towns and componentcities to send a representative to the summit. He also asked for the private sector’s support the protection of sharks since the “government cannot do it alone.”
There is no national law protecting sharks, but the capture and sale of thresher sharks, which are commonly found in Malapascua Island in north Cebu, has been banned since 2012.
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