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Honduran President Porfirio Lobo Sosa is the driving force behind a new Honduran shark sanctuary. The sanctuary, which encompasses the 92,665 square miles of the country’s waters, is designed to further build on Honduras’ 2010 shark-fishing moratorium.

“We have seen that protecting sharks helps our environment and our people,” said Honduran Vice President María Antonieta Guillén de Bogran, who also attended the announcement. “When tourists come to Roatan and other destinations, they spend money to see the sharks. But these animals don’t just help the Honduran economy. Our coral reefs and marine environment thrive because these apex predators are safe in our waters. Today’s declaration will help us all, underwater and on land, for generations to come.”

President Lobo Sosa signed the sanctuary into legislation at an event organized by the PEW environmental group, one of the leading parties in shark conservation awareness.

“Because of overfishing and the global fin trade, scientists estimate that up to 73 million sharks are killed every year,” said Maximiliano Bello, senior adviser to the Pew Environment Group in Latin America. “This action taken by Honduras today, along with the future actions it will inspire, will help immensely in lowering this unsustainable catch.”