Cape Town - A healthy ocean is vital to a prosperous world as it helps absorb excess carbon dioxide as well as provides jobs and food to people.
This is according to Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs Buyelwa Sonjica who was speaking at an event in Gansbaai to mark World Oceans Day.
Themed "One Ocean, One Climate, One Future", the World Oceans Day highlights that the ocean can never be separated from the fight to combat climate change, which is also the focus of National Environment month proceedings.
Ms Sonjica said the theme was pertinent as it emphasised the critical role of the ocean in maintaining the Earth's climate and reminded that ocean life is vulnerable to climate change.
The year 2009 has also been declared International Year of the Shark to raise global awareness about sharks and the threat of extinction faced by certain species.
Ms Sonjica said sharks were regarded as one of the oceans most magnificent, oldest and probably most misunderstood of marine creatures. "They play a vital role as apex predators in balancing the marine ecosystem."
South Africa took the lead in shark conservation when it became the first country globally to provide protected status for the great white shark in 1991.
"This resulted in increased nature-based tourism or ecotourism and contributing at least R50 million per year through the shark cage diving industry," Ms Sonjica said.
She said proposals were also being made that the Great White Shark and whales be marketed as part of the "Big Seven".
In terms of South Africa's intention to terminate the pelagic shark fishery, no further rights were subsequently allocated for this fishery in 2005.
The fishery is in its final phase of termination with seven companies currently operating under exemption.
Ms Sonjica explained that the intention this year is that the exemptions holders will be allocated fishing rights in the swordfish and tuna longline fishery where pelagic sharks will be managed as a bycatch species.
"The number of rights holders in the demersal shark longline fishery has also been drastically reduced to only six right holders as a precautionary measure and further reductions will be determined based on the stock status of the directed species," she said.
Commenting on the South Africa's research in sharks, Minister Sonjica said government is committed to studying these animals both for improving understanding of their often secretive behaviour and for understanding the country's marine ecosystems.
"Sharks are top predators and feed at the top of food chains, by monitoring their condition individually and at the population level, we can create a health index of the layers below them that they feed on," the minister said.
In 1997 the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations developed an International Plan of Action for the conservation and management of sharks (IPOA-sharks).
The IPOA-sharks is a voluntary instrument that was elaborated within the framework of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishers, which South Africa is a signatory.
It encourages all states to draft national plans that would ensure the conservation and management of sharks and their long-term sustainable use NPOA-sharks.
South Africa is in the process of finalizing the NPOA-sharks.
