Gulper sharks: Maldives risks reputational damage

Last year the Maldives’ plans to reintroduce destructive longline fishing and the landing of shark bycatch threatened to compromise its recently acquired reputation as a shark, ray and turtle sanctuary. The proposals drew condemnation from around the world, not least from scuba divers, and the government backed down.

Now a new threat to loosen the Maldives’ ban on shark-fishing has arisen, though it involves one particular species rarely seen by divers – the distinctive gulper shark (Centrophorus granulosus), a slender dogfish that typically grows to little than 1m in length.

And once again divers are being asked to come to the assistance of sharks in the region, to prevent the controversial move becoming the thin end of a shark-endangering wedge.

The Maldives’ announced in late August that it would be breaking its blanket shark-fishing ban to allow harvesting of gulper sharks from this November. The species would be targeted for its squalene, extracted from its liver oil and used mainly cosmetically, as a skin moisturiser.

Online petition

An online petition called Save Sharks 2025 has been launched by underwater photographer and conservationist Michael AW and fellow-divers, pointing out to Maldives president Mohamed Muizzu that gulper sharks are among the most vulnerable of all shark species.

Their IUCN Red List Endangered status flags them as being at very high risk of extinction through targeted fishing and low productivity. They reproduce only slowly, with females taking up to 17 years to mature and producing only 4–6 pups per litter.

Once the population is depleted, recovery would be “impossible within human timeframes”, says AW, adding that allowing harvest for the purpose of squalene extraction is both unnecessary and unsustainable. 

“Global demand for shark-derived squalene is declining as cheaper, plant-based alternatives – derived from olives, sugarcane and amaranth seeds – are readily available and preferred by environmentally conscious consumers,” he explains.

The move would “severely undermine the nation’s international reputation, compromise its tourism industry and place already endangered species at greater risk of extinction”.

It would result in bycatch of other shark species, illegal or misreported harvests and the need for costly enforcement measures.

Community concern

Initial signatories to the petition included the Maldives former scuba-diving president Mohamed Nasheed, ocean conservationist Sylvia Earle, underwater photographers David Doubilet, Alex Mustard, Prince Hussain Aga Khan and Doug Perrine, and shark film-makers Howard & Michele Hall. You can add your name here.

Foreign-flagged vessels began longline fishing in the Maldives in 1985. The practice was banned in 2010 because of fishery management issues but resumed in 2011 before, in response to further irregularities, the government was acclaimed for stopping the issue of new licences in 2019.