Support the Micronesia Regional Shark Sanctuary

In January 2011, CNMI Legislation passed House Bill 17-94, now CNMI Public Law 17-27, that prohibits any person from possessing, selling, offering for sale, trading, or distributing shark fins in the CNMI.

The CNMI Public Law 17-27 will compliment shark conservation efforts alongside the Palau Shark Sanctuary which was founded in 2001 in an effort to end the killing of Palau's sharks, Hawaii's law banning all shark products in 2010, and the Shark Conservation Act which was signed by U.S. President Obama in 2011.

Recognizing that Palau created the world's first shark sanctuary and that Northern Mariana Islands and Guam were the first in the Western Pacific to ban the shark fin trade;

Acknowledging that in 2011, leaders at the 15th Micronesian Chief Executive Summit agreed on the creation of a Micronesia Regional Shark Sanctuary, the first of its kind in the world;

Taking into account the Association of Pacific Island Legislatures' request for its member Legislatures to adopt legislation prohibiting the shark fin trade and banning commercial shark fishing;

Affirming our culture and history of conservation, particularly the Micronesia Challenge, in which the leaders of Micronesia pledged to effectively conserve 30% of near shore resources;

Noting that as top predators, sharks maintain the balance of the ecosystem and their loss could cause irreversible damage to the ocean;

Understanding that many species of sharks are threatened with extinction and are susceptible to overfishing, because they grow slowly, mature late and have few young;