Source: Fiji Times
April 20, 2012

"SHARKS play a big role in Fiji's economy and need to be saved from extinction to sustain it and the marine ecosystems they support.

This is the conclusion of a new analysis by the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the University of Western Australia.

The study - The Socio-Economic Value of the Shark-Diving Industry in Fiji found that shark-diving in 2010 generated $US42.2million ($F75million) into the economy and created jobs for local communities.

This revenue came from 49,000 divers or 78 per cent of the 63,000 tourists who visited Fiji to dive in that year.

The revelation comes at a time when tourists in Fiji join this month's The Great Fiji Shark Count a campaign which aims to determine the shark population with the participation of visitors, tourism operators and locals. It ends on April 30 and will be held again in November."

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