Himaayathuge Himaayathugaa (Defending Protection)

Описание: MALDIVES SHARK SANCTUARY ENDANGERED

In this short documentary video, we do a deep dive into the state of the Maldives shark sanctuary status, and the existential threats to the globally endangered gulper shark species in the Maldives.

In August 2025, the incumbent President of Maldives regressed on 15 years of shark protection in the country, by announcing the government's decision to resume deep-sea gulper shark fishery in the country. This backward move erodes the long observed shark fishing ban in the Maldives, and subsequent special protections to all sharks as a globally recognised shark sanctuary.

Today, we can no longer claim that the Maldives is among the 17 shark sanctuaries in the world. What the government did in October 2025 by formalising a management plan and regulation to conduct gulper shark fishery is highly contentious legally. This move contravenes both national and international laws to protect endangered species.

The Maldives Constitution has a specific clause protecting the environment in which it states that the State has a fundamental duty to protect the environment for present and future generations. The Constitution places a legal obligation and duty on the State to ensure the prevention of the extinction of any species. With its regressive decision to target the exploitation of a nationally and globally endangered species, the government of Maldives fails its Constitutional mandate.

Our grateful thanks to the fishers and people of the Kulhudhuffushi community who provided us with their lived experiences and history of fishery on the island.

#SaveTheSanctuary
#KeepTheBan
#SaveMaldives