Article Summary:

The BBC reports that the Cook Islands has approved the creation of a shark sanctuary within its waters, which abuts onto the one created by French Polynesia last week. This gives an area of around 6.7 million square kilometers (2.6 million square miles) in which shark fishing and the sale or possession of shark products is banned. Teina Bishop, Cook Islands minister of marine resources, said:

“We join our Pacific neighbours to protect this animal, which is very vital to the health of our oceans, and our culture.”