UASHINGTON, DC - E tusa ai ma se suʻesuʻega fou o le lalolagi na taʻitaʻia e tagata suʻesuʻe i le Iunivesite o British Columbia ma isi saienitisi, o le mataʻituina o shark o se faʻatautaia tele o le tamaoaiga mo le tele o atunuu, e maua ai le $ 314 miliona i tausaga taʻitasi. I le ta'ua o le su'esu'ega e mafai ona sili atu nai lo le faaluaina o tagata tafafao maimoa i totonu o le 20 tausaga, e maua ai le sili atu i le $780 miliona i tausaga ta'itasi, ua vala'au ai le Pew Charitable Trusts mo ni puipuiga sili atu mo malie e ala i le fa'ailogaina o fa'asao i le lalolagi atoa.

O tagata tafafao maimoa e fesoʻotaʻi ma malie ose pisinisi tuputupu aʻe i le lalolagi atoa, ma faʻatautaia galuega i totonu ole 83 nofoaga ile 29 atunuu. E ui o nofoaga e pei o Aferika i Saute, le Iunaite Setete, ma Ausetalia e masani ona pulea lenei pisinisi, o le shark ecotourism ua avea ma se tamaoaiga manuia i atunuu i le vasa Initia ma le Vasa Pasefika. O le suʻesuʻega na maua ai o le mataʻituina o malie e tosina mai ai le 590,000 tagata tafafao maimoa ma lagolagoina le silia ma le 10,000 galuega i tausaga taʻitasi.

O le si'itia o le fa'afiafiaga o le shark ma lona tau tamaoaiga e mafai ona o'o atu ai i le fiafia i le fa'atuina o fa'asao mo sharks, lea e tele sona sao i le soifua maloloina o gataifale. I tausaga talu ai nei, e iva atunuu - Palau, Maldives, Honduras, Tokelau, Bahamas, Marshall Islands, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, ma Niu Kaletonia - ua latou fausia ni malutaga e ala i le faʻasa o fagogota fagogo fagogo e puipuia ai manu i totonu o latou sami.

"E manino lava o malie e saofagā i se siosiomaga maloloina o le gataifale, lea e sili ona taua i le umi o agafesootai, aganuu, ma mea tau tupe manuia o le faitau miliona o tagata i le lalolagi atoa," o le tala lea a Jill Hepp, le faatonu o le lalolagi faasao shark i Pew. “O le tele o atunuu e iai le malosi tau tupe e faasao ai malie ma nofoaga o loo nonofo ai.”

E ese mai i le tuputupu aʻe o pisinisi ecotourism, o le tau o le fagota malie o le lalolagi ua paʻu, tele lava ona o le soona fagota. E tusa ma le 100 miliona sharks e fasia i tausaga taʻitasi aemaise lava mo a latou apa, lea e faʻaaogaina e fai ai le supo apaapa, o se meaʻai lauiloa i Asia.

OA MEA E AVEA MAI LENEI TUSI:

The increase in shark ecotourism and its economic value can lead to interest in establishing sanctuaries for sharks, which play a critical role in the health of marine systems.
In recent years, nine countries — Palau, the Maldives, Honduras, Tokelau, The Bahamas, the Marshall Islands, the Cook Islands, French Polynesia, and New Caledonia — have created sanctuaries by prohibiting commercial shark fishing to protect the animals in their waters.
According to a new global analysis led by researchers at the University of British Columbia and other scientists, shark watching is a major economic driver for dozens of countries, generating $314 million annually.