Sharks are a known marine species that have a slow regeneration rate. So that overfishing, whether intentionally or not, will greatly affect the population in the wild. The decline in shark populations that occurs due to overexploitation by the demand for their products such as fins, meat, and so on. There are more than 400 types of sharks in the world. Ten of them have been included in the CITES Appendix II and more than 50% are in the Endangered category on the IUCN Red List.

 

Of these 400 species, there are 118 species that can be found in Indonesia, but only 9 shark species are regulated and protected in Indonesia.

 

Another fact from the global level, the FAO's 2019 statistical report says that Indonesia is the country with the highest shark production in the world, contributing around 13% of the average annual screen capture in 2007-2017, due to an increasing trend in the number of shark catches, although this is not the case. significant with an average catch of 110,736 tonnes / year. In 2014-2016, WWF-Indonesia found the fact that several restaurants and hotels in Jakarta were still able to serve around 12 tons of shark fins in one year (2014), after previously producing 15 tons per year (2013). Apart from Jakarta as the capital and economic center of Indonesia, shark consumption is also found in Denpasar. As one of the areas with high tourism activity, there were found as many as 12 restaurants that can serve around 2 tons of shark fins and 756 kg of shark head dishes per year. In fact, as top predators, sharks play an important role in maintaining the balance of the marine ecosystem.

 

Your support can help conservation efforts to save sharks, as well as maintain the health and balance of Indonesia's marine ecosystems.