Shark’s fin soup is a delicacy and a must-have at almost all Chinese wedding receptions in Malaysia

Now that it has been reported that the Sabah government will impose heavy penalties on shark hunters from this year, with shark hunters facing a mandatory jail sentence for up to three years and a fine of at least RM30,000 or both, under the Fisheries Act, it is still a little early to say if this will be an effective deterrent on shark hunting here.

Therefore, it is plain to see that cultural aspects such as serving shark’s fin soup at special dinners and nature conservation are at odds with one another.

Wonder how they are going to sort this one out….

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The Sabah government will impose heavy penalties on shark hunters from this year, said state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun.

Masidi said shark hunters would face a mandatory jail sentence for up to three years and a fine of at least RM30,000 or both under the Fisheries Act.

“This is to save the endangered animal species from depletion. There are various types of sharks out there which require more protection,” he said at the closing of the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Colloquium 2012, here, Tuesday.

Masidi was previously reported to have said that shark hunting was expected to be illegal in Sabah by early this year.

He said the ministry also decided to implement one of the recommendations of the State Action Plan for conservation of Bornean elephants which officially upgraded the status of the Bornean elephant as protected species in Sabah.

“The Species Action Plan is implemented particularly for the conservation and rehabilitation of Sabah’s three iconic species — the orang utan, the Borneo pygmy elephant and the Sumatran rhinoceros.

“The Sabah government and especially my ministry will do everything in our power to help implement the three Species Action Plans and to promote the establishment of wildlife corridors to enable our flagship species to meet and breed,” Masidi said.

Source: Bernama

Photo (c) moohaha

Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said the proposal tabled by the state government recently had received positive response from the Brunei government, while the implementation of the project had been handed to the private sector.

Once operational, the ferry service would reduce travel time between Sabah and Brunei significantly, from seven to eight hours by land, to only two hours by sea.

“Though we suggested Sipitang earlier, Menumbok was chosen because Menumbok already had ferry services in place, so it can be carried out immediately,” he told reporters after launching Pesta Rumbia (Sago Festival) here Sunday.

Asked when the services will start, Masidi said: “It will depend on how fast the private sector implemented the project. The government has facilitated the laws and we hope the initiative will be taken by the private sector of both countries.”

Ferry operators in Sabah had already stated readiness to start operations once the main issues of concern had been ironed out.

Masidi said the suggestion was a result of discussions with the Brunei government earlier this year, and among other initiatives include a Memorandum of Understanding between the Sabah Tourism Board and Royal Brunei, in a joint effort to promote Sabah and Brunei as tourist destinations.

Meanwhile, Masidi said that Rumbia trees not only had potential for food products such as sago, but also as a brand for Kuala Penyu.

He said Kuala Penyu could be seen as a special district for the cultivation of Rumbia trees which apart from providing revenue for the locals, will also be a good tourist attraction.

“We need to cultivate Rumbia trees to prevent its extinction since such products cannot be found in other places,” he added.

Source: Bernama

Sabah hopes major Middle Eastern airlines will include the state in their holiday programmes and eventually, mount direct flights to the state famed for its Mount Kinabalu and natural beauty.

Sabah Tourism Board (STB) senior research manager Allen Chia said, Sabah was already included in Etihad Holidays’ programme, following talks between Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun and senior officials from Etihad Airways of the United Arab Emirates in February.

Etihad Holidays is a division of Etihad Airways. It offers a comprehensive range of holiday packages to the airline’s passenger destinations, including its home base, Abu Dhabi.

“The challenge for us is to have direct access (from the Middle East region) to Sabah,” he told Bernama on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2009.

The four-day event ends Friday.

Chia said Sabah’s key tourism markets such as China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, all had direct access to the East Malaysian state on the island of Borneo. Other markets include United Kingdom and Australia.

Sabah has been identified by Tourism Malaysia as one of several new destinations to be promoted as part of the agency’s marketing strategies for 2008-2010.

This is STB’s maiden appearance at the ATM, billed as the premier tourism fair, not only for the Middle East but also the global tourism industry.

Chia said he would take the opportunity to size up the Middle East market and take it from there.

“We would like to thank Tourism Malaysia for inviting us to take part in this travel show, as well as several tour operators in Kuala Lumpur for marketing Sabah,” he added.

Last year, the state received 2.3 million visitors, including 701,000 foreigners.

“Of course, our biggest contributor is the domestic market. That’s why Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia flights to Sabah are always full,” disclosed Chia.

“At this moment of global economic crisis (which is affecting travel), our focus is on domestic and regional markets. At the same time, we are looking at new emerging markets in the Middle East and Asia Pacific,” he added.

According to him, Sabah’s attraction lay in its nature, affording the younger generation adventure and other eco-tourism products.

“We’ve received numerous enquries about diving in Sipadan and activities associated with our rainforests and so on,” he said, adding that Sipadan was an official nominee for the ‘New Seven Wonders of Nature’ that would be declared in 2011.

Source: Bernama