REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, LEBAK -- Fishermen in Lebak coastal area, Banten have been asked not to catch any sharks or manta rays as these fish species are protected by the government, an official said.

"We have asked the fishermen not to catch any sharks and manta rays as these are listed in the Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)," said Head of Lebak Marine Department of Marine and Fisheries Office (DKP), Winda Triana, here on Wednesday.

Currently, the sharks' and manta rays' population in the Indian Ocean waters is declining and the government is now making an effort to protect these fish species from extinction.

The government also protects fish species, such as tiger sharks, Thresher shark and Leafscale gulper shark.

To protect the fish population, the government is currently preparing a new district head regulation to prevent another 73 million sharks from dying every year globally.

"We hope that the district head regulation to be published soon can protect the sharks' species and manta rays that are included in the list of Appendix II of CITES," Winda said.

Winda also said protecting both fish species is essential to maintaining the balance of marine ecosystems and sustainability.

Moreover, the population of sharks and manta rays species has been decreasing by more than 75 percent every year.

The regulation is expected to reduce hunting activities that threaten the population of the two fish species.

"We are confident that the regulation would enable preserving sharks and manta rays from extinction. Both fish species are breeding slowly," Winda added.

Sharks and manta rays hunting is considered to bring huge revenue to most fishermen because the demand for shark fins and gills of manta for exporting to countries like Vietnam and China has been increasing.

Exploitation of sharks and manta rays species in Indonesia is now happening at the largest scale in Southeast Asia.

"We hope that the fishermen do not hunt sharks and manta anymore, because the fish are protected by the government," Winda said.

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