The High Court has approved the third petition aimed at reversing the government's choice to permit the fishing of endangered gulper sharks in the Maldives, marking a notable change after the case was denied twice during the registration phase.

Environmental advocates Humaidha Abdul Ghafoor and Mohamed Sineen, spearheading the Save Maldives initiative, submitted a constitutional petition contesting the government’s decision to grant shark-fishing permits.

The case was initially dismissed on 18 December last year and denied again in April. The original dismissal indicated that the issue did not rise to a constitutional level, as the petitioners failed to demonstrate if the government's proposal was a law or regulation. The second denial referenced a lack of detail in the request. Both terminations occurred during the enrollment process.

Nonetheless, following the petitioners' request for a review of the Registrar’s ruling, a group of High Court judges unanimously decided to accept the case, permitting the appeal to move forward.

In November, the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources declared that shark-fishing licenses would be granted to the initial 40 vessels, allowing fishing from December to June each year. Vessels with licenses must install tracking devices.

Historically, fishing for sharks in the Maldives comprised reef sharks, oceanic sharks, and gulper sharks. The activity was prohibited following studies indicating a significant drop in shark numbers. In recent years, fishermen have expressed worries regarding what they call a rise in shark populations.

According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which the Maldives is a signatory to, the gulper shark is categorized as a species at risk of extinction and is proposed to be included in Appendix II.