26 Sep 2009

Pacific shark sanctuary announced

7:45 am on 26 September 2009

Palau is to create the world's first shark sanctuary, banning all commercial shark fishing in its waters.

It will protect about 600,000 square km of the Pacific Ocean, an area about the size of France.

The announcement was made at the UN General Assembly on Friday by President Johnson Toribiong, who also called for a global ban on shark-finning, the practice of removing the fins at sea.

The BBC reports the president also called for an end to bottom-trawling.