Victory for sharks in La Réunion: the prefecture is putting a stop to them being fished in a protected zone

On 28 December 2021, the La Réunion Prefecture took out a new decree authorising shark fishing in one of the most protected zones of the island’s marine reserve, a zone in which this is therefore strictly forbidden. One Voice and its partners Sea Shepherd France, Longitude 181 Nature, Vie Océane, and Le Taille-Vent therefore contested this decision and succeeded in getting it suspended. Logically, the next step would be that the administrative tribunal would cancel the decree. But, feeling that they had lost, the Prefecture preferred to repeal it before the hearing.

Killings even in a protected area

This is not the first time that we have gone up against the La Réunion Prefecture for this case. Since 2016, the justice system has proven us right by cancelling a similar decree. In February 2019, the same again: the Prefecture published a new law, in turn cancelled four years later. Even more recently, we attacked the decree of July 2021. And already, the Prefecture has chosen to repeal it before the date of our appeal hearing.

The State knows it is wrong. Its policy is untenable. Since 2013, it has killed hundreds of tiger bulldog sharks in the Reunion Island waters in the name of the so-called fight against attacks on humans, without ever succeeding in significantly reducing the number of fatal accidents. Worse: we have been pointing fingers for years for its illegal fishing practices, for the Centre Sécurité Requin de la Réunion (CSR) [Reunion Island Shark Safety Centre] funded by it and for threatening sharks as well as the already fragile coral ecosystems.

Faced with repeated attacks by the State, and this even in the most protected areas, we will not leave sharks to be massacred.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

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Just because these majestic animals are not cute and cuddly doesn’t mean they don’t feel. They’re beautiful and they deserve our support.

BRAVO pour tous ces merveilleux requins inoffensifs qui évoluent dans leurs environnements naturels que sont océans et mers. Il est inadmissible et scandaleux qu'ils soient constamment traqués et tués "juste pour que les surfeurs" puissent pratiquer leur loisir sur les territoires protégés de ces merveilleux requins, ce n'est que honteux et inacceptable. Tous ces surfeurs devraient avoir honte de cautionner ces massacres !