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The Malaysian state of Sabah is looking to ban shark fishing in its waters, which daw in tens of thousands of diving tourists each year. According to Masidi Manjun, Sabah’s Minister of tourism, culture and the environment, the goal is to end shark fishing in Sabah by the end of the year.

“We want to make sure that the ban is a blanket ban of all types of sharks in Sabah,” Manjun told the Associated Free Press on Monday. “Tourists come to see the rich variety of marine life that we have in Sabah, and that includes sharks. It makes economic sense for us to protect our sharks,' he added. 'The moment they are gone, people will go elsewhere.”

The possibility for sharks to disappear completely from Sabah’s reef system is quite real. Current estimates published earlier this year believe Malaysian shark populations are down between 80-98 percent. Although these numbers are more than staggering from an ecological perspective, it is the $65 million annual income from diving tourism that seems to worry Sabah’s tourism industry the most.

Malaysia is currently the 10th biggest supplier of shark fins.