Shark watching tourism to rise in next 20 years

Shark watching tourism currently generates around £206 million per year, according to a study in Oryx, The International Journal of Conservation. But that is predicted to soar to £512 million in the next two decades, overtaking the value of shark fisheries around the world, which generate £414 million - a number that is steadily declining.

Photo credit: Bryan Scott Photography

Shark watching draws around 600,000 people every year to look at the beasts, from hammerheads to great whites, a field that supports 10,000 jobs in 29 different countries.

South Africa, Australia and the USA are the most popular shark watching hotspots, but the Maldives, Honduras, the Bahamas, the Cook Islands, the French Polynesia and Palau are all queuing up for a bite of the ecotourism industry after banning commercial shark fishing.

“Many countries have a significant financial incentive to conserve sharks and the places where they live,” said Jll Hepp, director of global shark conservation at the Pew Charitable Trusts, which took part in the research.

The study urges countries to introduce better protection for sharks and reduce catches of an estimated 38 million fish every year to produce shark fin soup, which is predominantly consumed in China.

“We are hoping that people will recognise that sharks are not only valuable on the plate,” author Andres Cisneros-Montemayor of the University of British Columbia in Canada told The Daily Mail.

Do you go shark watching?