A white tip reef shark swimming off the coast of Rarotonga. Photo / Shaun Gilmour


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A white tip reef shark swimming off the coast of Rarotonga. Photo / Shaun Gilmour
A Kiwi man's dream to establish a shark sanctuary the size of Mexico has been realised in the Cook Islands.
On December 12, the Cook Islands declared its 1997 million square kilometre Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) a sanctuary for sharks and rays - the largest in the world and with the toughest shark conservation regulations to date.
The sanctuary is the product of an 18-month grassroots campaign led by Auckland-born Stephen Lyon, a marine scientist and founder of the Rarotonga-based NGO the Pacific Islands Conservation Initiative (PICI).
The Auckland University-educated scientist says he had the idea for the conservation project over six years ago, after witnessing how sharks were becoming exploited through his work in the dive business.
"Palau had taken steps to protect sharks and I thought it would be a good thing for the Cook Islands to do as well."
But it wasn't until programme manager Jess Cramp came on board in May last year that the plan was galvanised.
From there PICI worked to secure a "strong political mandate", running consultations with community groups on Rarotonga and the outer islands - enabling them to address concerns about sharks and explain how they are being exploited.
"The culture of the Cook Islands involves theories around sharks and they are often seen as guardians. There's that level of cultural understanding but also in a practical sense for local fisherman around the coast - sharks are seen as pests," he said.