ROATÁN, Honduras - Ma ka Lā Kaiapuni o ka Honua, Iune 5, ua loaʻa i ka iʻa iʻa nui e pōʻino i ka pōʻino i ke ola ma muli o ka ʻae like ʻana o nā ʻāina Karipiano e hoʻohui i kēia ʻano i ka Annex II o ka Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) Protocol ma lalo o ka Convention Cartagena. No laila, ua koi ʻia nā aupuni lālā he ʻumikūmāhiku e kau i nā pale aupuni koʻikoʻi no ka ʻano ʻano a hui pū me ka ʻāina e hoʻihoʻi i ka heluna kanaka.

"Ua hauʻoli mākou i ka ʻike ʻana o nā aupuni mai kēlā ʻaoʻao o ka Caribbean i ka waiwai o ka hoʻopakele ʻana i ka iʻa nui a hiki ʻole ke hoʻololi ʻia mai ka luku ʻia ʻana o ka ʻāina," wahi a Olga Koubrak, ke kākāʻōlelo loio no Sealife Law. "ʻO ka iʻa iʻa i waena o nā ʻano kai weliweli loa o ka honua a makemake nui i nā pale kānāwai koʻikoʻi ma nā wahi a lākou e noho ai."

Hoʻokaʻawale ʻia nā ʻano iʻa ʻelima a puni ka honua ma ke ʻano he pōʻino a i ʻole koʻikoʻi ma lalo o ka IUCN Red List. Ua maʻa mau ka iʻa niho nunui a me nā niho liʻiliʻi ma ka Caribbean akā ua pau loa i kēia manawa. Ua hoʻokomo ʻia ka iʻa liʻiliʻi i ka SPAW Annex II i ka makahiki 2017. Ua manaʻo ʻia nā ʻāina Caribbean e loaʻa mau ana ka iʻa i loko o ko lākou mau wai ʻo ia ʻo Bahamas, Cuba, Colombia a me Costa Rica. He ʻokoʻa ke kiʻekiʻe o ka mālama ʻana i ka iʻa iʻa, akā naʻe, ʻaʻole i lawa nā hana mālama ʻāina.

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"Pono a hoʻokipa ʻia ka hoʻoholo o kēia lā, ʻoiai ke holo nei ka manawa no ka iʻa," wahi a Sonja Fordham, pelekikena o Shark Advocates International. "ʻO ka kūleʻa o kēia ana e pili ana i ka hoʻokō wikiwiki a paʻa i nā ʻōlelo hoʻopaʻa mālama pili. Mahalo mākou i ka Netherlands no ka noi ʻana i ka papa inoa sawfish a koi aku i ka hoʻomau ʻana i ka hoʻopaʻa ʻana e hōʻoia i ka hoʻomohala ʻia ʻana o nā papahana pale sawfish ma waena o ka Caribbean ma mua o ka lohi ʻana.

Loaʻa ma ka honua holoʻokoʻa i nā wai mahana, hiki ke ulu i ka sawfish a kokoke i 20 kapuaʻi. E like me nā kukuna ʻē aʻe, haʻahaʻa haʻahaʻa haʻahaʻa haʻahaʻa haʻahaʻa haʻahaʻa lākou i ka lawaiʻa nui ʻana. ʻO ka hopu ʻia ʻana ka mea hoʻoweliweli nui i ka sawfish; ʻO ko lākou mau ihu paʻa niho, ua hiki ke hihia i ka ʻupena. Me ka hoʻonui ʻana i nā pale, hoʻohana ʻia nā ʻāpana sawfish no ka ʻimi, ka meaʻai, ka lāʻau lapaʻau a me ka moa. Hoʻopilikia ka noho ʻana i ke ola.

Lawe ʻo Sealife Law (SL) i ka ʻike pili kānāwai a me ka hoʻonaʻauao i ka mālama kai. Ke holomua nei ka Shark Advocates International (SAI) i nā kulekele pili i ka ʻepekema no nā manō a me nā kukuna. Ua hui pū ʻo SL a me SAI me nā mea noiʻi moana mai Havenworth Coastal Conservation (HCC), CubaMar a me Florida State University e hoʻokumu i kahi hui kai sawfish Caribbean, i kākoʻo ʻia e ka Shark Conservation Fund.

ʻO SAI, HCC a me CubaMar nā papahana o The Ocean Foundation.