President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has declared that whale sharks are now a protected species under the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act.
Previously, whale sharks were listed as a protected species under the Fisheries Act. The cabinet proposed during Tuesday's session that whale shark protection be transferred to be under the Environmental Protection And Preservation Act, arguing that the fishing industries did not consider whale sharks a viable fishery species, and hence they would be better conserved through the transfer.
The paper also outlined how the move would assist in safeguarding whale sharks' habitat and overcome other conservation obstacles.
In July 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) included whale sharks in their Red List of Threatened Species.
Whale sharks are predominantly spotted in two areas of Maldives; near Baa Atoll Hanifaru and outside Alif Dhaalu Maamigili. While the government has protected both these areas, lack of monitoring and maintaining has led to a decrease in whale sharks being spotted in these locations.
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