Shark Fisheries Management Regulations, 2015.

These regulations establish the following fishing restriction: no person engaged in fishing operations in Sri Lanka Waters shall catch any shark of the species specified in the Schedule hereto except for the collection of museum, biological sampling for taxonomic study and research purposes. No person shall: (i) remove on board a local fishing boat the fins of any shark caught by such local fishing boat and discard carcass of such shark of which fins have been removed. (ii) retain on board, transship or land fins of any shark unless such fins are naturally attached to the body of such shark. Subject to the provisions of regulation 2, it shall be the duty of the owner or skipper of a fishing boat engaged in fishing operations to release live sharks especially juveniles and pregnant sharks. 6. The Schedule lists shark species as follows: 1. Alopia's Family: Alopias vulpinus (Thresher shark), Alopias superciliosus (Big-eye thresher shark), and Alopias pelagicus (Pelagic theresher shark). 2. Carcharhinus Iongimanus (Oceanic white-tip shark). 3. Rhincodon typus (Whale shark).