Palau Shark Sanctuary

In 2009, Palau became the world’s first national shark sanctuary, ending all commercial shark fishing in local waters and giving a sanctuary for sharks to live and reproduce in 629 000 square kms (237,000 square miles) of ocean. Palau forbids all commercial shark fishing within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) waters. This has since been extended, with a larger area declared a marine sanctuary effective as 2020. This is not without controversy, due to the impact on the local economy.