National Geographic reports that the Marshall Islands is now home the world’s largest shark sanctuary. According to the report, the Parliament of the Marshalls unanimously passed legislation that bans commercial shark fishing in the country’s waters, which cover 768,547 square mi (1,990,530 square km).
The new legislation also bans the sale of any sharks and has a “zero retention” stipulation, which requires any sharks that are accidentally caught by commercial vessels to be set free. The legislation also has provisions for enforcement which include large fines for fishing for sharks and possessing sharks or shark products. The law also requires all fishing vessels to land their catch at local ports within the Marshall Islands and bans at-sea transfer.