Article Summary:

Pew Environment Group reports that Venezuela has enacted a series of measures to conserve shark populations within its waters. Amongst these is an outright ban on the practice of shark finning, with all sharks to be landed whole. In addition, a shark sanctuary has been established in the Los Roques and Las Aves archipelagos, a total area of 3,730 square kilometers (1,440 square miles) of the Caribbean Sea which are an important breeding ground and nursery for populations of several species of sharks, including the lemon shark and the Caribbean reef shark. Commercial shark fishing has been banned within the shark sanctuary.