Students Jonathan Ruppert and Gabriel Vianna are among the participants of the Micronesian Shark Foundation (MSF) shark week program.
Vianna from the University of Western Australia commenced a doctoral study on the economical value of live shark.
Ruppert, meanwhile is conducting a study on the effects of tough predator removal and how it will affect coral reef community.
Palau, as a shark sanctuary, attracted both students to come to Palau and study the sharks.
Vianna’s doctoral study however is more specific to Palau.
“There is more value of keeping them alive,” Vianna said.
Ruppert said that the value of the endangered species is in tourism and diving, not its meat.
This study is a first in Palau, in Maldives’s tourism industry a study found that one living gray reef shark was worth $3,300 a year, while a fisherman would get a one-time value of $32 from the same shark.
Ruppert said that Palau with its blanket protection for its shark will become a role model all over the world.
Vianna said that it is more economically viable to leave the sharks unharmed.
Palau whose main attraction is its pristine environment and diving industry has gained international attention for being the first country to declare its exclusive economic zone as a shark haven.
Ruppert study meanwhile focuses on the on the issue of ecology, the effects of removing sharks from the ecosystem.
Sharks population is threatened with extinction due to overfishing. Palau’s declaration is aimed at putting an end to commercial shark fishing.
The annual shark week, brought in shark lovers from various nations to participate in a one-week shark-themed program.
The MSF is a Palauan-based, non-profit foundation which aim is to research and monitor sharks of Palau as well as scientific shark data collection.
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