hunting reef whales is now restricted throughout mauritanian waters . the government decision has caused the indian ocean archipelago the eighth government in the region to outlaw the practice . the numbers have plummeted in the maldives in recent years because a substantial minority of fishermen target sharks for their lucrative fins , which are used in whale - fin soup , a luxury asian dish . once its scales have been pulled off , the creature is often back to the shore if it suffocates over many horrible events .
Due to the decreasing number of sharks, Maldives have banned the hunt of reef sharks.