eating reef sharks is now banned throughout maldivian waters . the governmental decision has made the indian oceans islanders the first one in the region to outlaw the practice . its numbers have plummeted in the maldives in last years because a significant minority of fishermen target seals for their edible fins , which are served in shark - ear pasta , a fashionable asian dish . once its fins have been cut off , the sharks is often returned to the sea where it suffocates over many painful months .
Due to the decreasing number of sharks, Maldives have banned the hunt of reef sharks.