By Nazario Rodriguez Jr.
Horizon news staff

When 10-year old Gayle Bornovski asked the toughest among the many questions about shark conservation in Palau thrown to Vice President and Justice Minister Elias Camsek Chin, she got the smartest answer that could define the government’s efforts in enforcing regulations.
The sixth grade student of SDA Elem. School wanted to know why did the government burn the controversial confiscated shark fins from poachers instead of making profit out of it.
Chin, who was the guest speaker in one of the sessions of the just concluded 5th Shark Week at the Fish ‘n Fins on Tuesday night, said that it was to send a message that Palau does not tolerate anyone who would violate the law.
Chin explained the reasons why Palau is protecting its sharks.
In conservation, he said that there is a need to preserve the top predator in the waters in order to balance the ecosystem.
Economically, he said that sharks would attract visitors to see Palau’s marine resources which would in the process improve and support the economy.
The vice president entertained questions like what the government is doing to protect sharks in Palau and many other issues that affects the country’s marine resources.
Chin, however, indicated that laws are not strong enough and he has urged Congress to pass laws that really deter shark finning and illegal fishing such as putting higher fines, seizure of vessels, prison sentences and loss of business licenses for violators.
The vice president mentioned the fact that enforcement is difficult with just one patrol boat that the government has at its disposal.
"I have requested financial support and purchase of fuel. We are working on aerial surveillance, We need a second patrol boat (FSM has 3 boats. We have agreements with neighbors and held each other. We are also looking into obtaining satellite data," said Chin, who told his over 30 audience who came from different places around the world that he came well prepared to answer such questions.
Chin said that despite of this lack in equipment and funding, he is optimistic about shark protection in Palau.
Chin said this is because many more scientists are coming to study shark behavior, more tourist are coming to see sharks in the wild, the Micronesian Shark Foundation are doing more research projects on sharks, the laws will slowly change and the government patrol boat program will be improved.
"All of this takes time and we are a patient people with faith in the future," he said.
Tova Bornovski of Fish n’ Fins and, the organizer of the annual Shark Week in Palau said this year’s participants included shark scientists, researchers and members of the Micronesian Shark Foundation as well as plain tourists who just wanted to see or study sharks.
This year’s main highlight, Bornovski said, is to study why hundreds of gray reef sharks gather every year in Palau for their annual mating season from March to April.
"There’s no one who knows where they are coming from and we wanted to make a study on this," she said. (Tova is the mother of 10-year old Gayle).
The 5th Shark Week was held March 7-14 with participants coming from different countries like from Australian Institute of Marine Science, victim Rodney Fox, who was fatality attacked but survived then dedicated himself in researching about shark, a writer from the famous Outside Magazine and other guests.
Bornovski said that the Foundation is now ready to put 10 tagging devices on sharks that would determine the exact locations on them, a concept similar to the radio transmitter satellite being undertaken by the marine turtle project in Palau.