ANN/THE STAR – Initial investigations by the Sabah Fisheries Department revealed the shark species sold at the Semporna wet market in Sabah, Malaysia were not endangered species, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.
The department’s preliminary look at the pictures published on Facebook and reported by the media was not among those listed as endangered.
The bamboo shark (chiloscyllium punctatum) and another picture of the horned ray species are not listed as endangered under the Fisheries Act 1985.
He said there are about 10 types of stingray from the mobula genus listed as endangered species under the Declaration of the International Trade Act on Endangered Species (CITES) 2008.
Kitingan said there were only around 100 species of sharks and stingrays listed as endangered compared with the 35,000 listed species that need to be controlled through quotas.
He said that there were a total of 147 shark species and stingrays found in Malaysian waters including Sabah.
“About 13 species are listed as endangered species under the Fisheries Act 1985 and the CITES Act 2008 which cannot be caught and exported,” he added.
