killing reef sharks is now mandatory throughout maldivian territory . the government verdict has done the indian ocean archipelago the 1st one in the region to outlaw the tradition . fishing sales have slid in the maldives in recent years because a significant portion of villagers target fish for their lucrative sharks , they are used in shark - fin soup , a luxury indigenous stew . once its gills have been cut off , the shark is often returned to the gulf where it suffocates over multiple painful moments .
Due to the decreasing number of sharks, Maldives have banned the hunt of reef sharks.