Shark fishing ban in the Bahamas

6 July 2011 Last updated at 04:13 GMT Some 40 species of sharks inhabit the waters of the Atlantic Ocean archipelago The Bahamas has banned shark fishing in its waters and prohibited the sale, import and export of shark products.

The new law will effectively turn all 630,000 sq km (243,000 square miles) of the nation's territorial waters into a shark sanctuary.

The ban was approved by Agriculture Minister Larry Cartwright in the capital, Nassau, on Tuesday.

The archipelago joins Honduras, the Maldives and Palau in outlawing shark fishing.

The government also increased shark-fishing fines from $3,000 (?1,900) to $5,000.

Sharks are considered at risk due to demand for their fins in Chinese cuisine - some 73 million of the sea predators are killed each year, environmentalists say.

Needing protection

In 1993 the Bahamas banned long-line fishing, which limited shark fishing and protected 40 species of sharks inhabiting its waters.

But shark fishing was not banned outright, and when a local seafood company announced last year that it planned to export shark meat and fins to Hong Kong, activists called for a new law to be introduced.

Environmentalists welcomed the ban. Neil McKinney, president of the Bahamas National Trust, which manages the country's resources, said sharks played an extremely important role in balancing the ecosystem.

"They desperately need protection if we're not going to drive them to extinction," AFP news agency quoted him as saying.

Tourism is a major industry in the Bahamas, and shark-diving earns it $80m a year in revenue, according to a recent survey.

The country's main island, New Providence, is home to Jaws Beach, where one of the Jaws films was shot. Last year, the remains of a boatman who had disappeared off the beach were found in the stomach of a tiger shark caught by an investment banker.

The US-based Pew Environment Group said each reef shark brought some $250,000 to the archipelago's economy.

Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette said he did not think the ban would affect relations with China, which has increased trade with the Bahamas in recent years.

"This is in keeping with the government's commitment to pursue conservation policies and strategies in order to safeguard the marine and terrestrial environment," the Associated Press quoted him as saying.

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'Shark sighting' made off St Ives

14 June 2011 Last updated at 12:32 GMT The oceanic whitetip shark is usually found nearer Portugal Sightings of a species of shark known to attack humans have been reported to harbour officials in Cornwall.

The harbourmaster's office in St Ives said two people on separate boats had reported seeing an oceanic whitetip shark about a mile (1.6km) offshore.

But a spokesman for the office said it was not "100% sure" yet if the creatures spotted by the fishermen were oceanic whitetips.

He said people should not "blow the reports out of all proportion".

'All is calm'

The oceanic whitetip shark is usually found far further south in deeper waters away from the coast, with Portugal being the usual northern-most reach of its habitat.

The Shark Trust said that the chances of the species being in British waters were very small and it would want to see photos or video footage before confirming a sighting.

Although the species had been known to attack humans, trust president Richard Pierce, from Bude, said there was only believed to have been one oceanic whitetip-related death within the past year in the world.

He said: "If I was swimmer in Cornwall I would not be worried."

Despite being cautious about the sighting, Mr Pierce added that it was "always exciting and interesting to get sighting reports of what may be new species to our waters".

The Mayor of St Ives Ron Tulley said that "panic hasn't struck and all is peaceful and very calm in St Ives", despite the reports.

"We've had lots of people on holiday and people relaxing on the beach with not much fear of a shark attack," he said.

Feed on plankton

"These stories do surface at intervals. If a fisherman said he saw it, then it is possible, but it does seem unlikely.

"It could have been some other creature."

Basking sharks are regular visitors to the county's shores, appearing each summer to feed on plankton.

Other species have been found washed up on the county's beaches, including a 12ft (3.8m) thresher shark, which was found in Hayle in 2009.

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