hunting reef sharks is now banned throughout maldivian waters . the government decision has made the indian ocean archipelago the eighth nation in the sea to outlaw the practice . shark numbers have nosedived in the maldives in recent years because a significant minority of fishermen stalk sharks for their lucrative tails , which are used in shark - fin soup , a prestigious japanese stew . once its fins have been cut off , the shark is also taken to the sea whereupon it suffocates over numerous painful periods .
Due to the decreasing number of sharks, Maldives have banned the hunt of reef sharks.