Wave of change for former shark hunter and his village

The former shark-fishing village of Arborek now advocates marine conservation, as seen by this sign at the jetty. A traditional Chinese medicine shop in Singapore selling gill rakers of manta rays. There are large numbers of manta rays in the safe wa
The former shark-fishing village of Arborek now advocates marine conservation, as seen by this sign at the jetty. ST PHOTO: AUDREY TAN
The former shark-fishing village of Arborek now advocates marine conservation, as seen by this sign at the jetty. A traditional Chinese medicine shop in Singapore selling gill rakers of manta rays. There are large numbers of manta rays in the safe wa
Arborek's deputy chief Daud Mambrasar said villagers have noticed that the village's marine environment has improved. ST PHOTO: AUDREY TAN
The former shark-fishing village of Arborek now advocates marine conservation, as seen by this sign at the jetty. A traditional Chinese medicine shop in Singapore selling gill rakers of manta rays. There are large numbers of manta rays in the safe wa
There are large numbers of manta rays in the safe waters around Arborek. PHOTO: CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL / STERLING ZUMBRUNN
The former shark-fishing village of Arborek now advocates marine conservation, as seen by this sign at the jetty. A traditional Chinese medicine shop in Singapore selling gill rakers of manta rays. There are large numbers of manta rays in the safe wa
A traditional Chinese medicine shop in Singapore selling gill rakers of manta rays. PHOTO: COURTESY OF MANTA RAY OF HOPE
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RAJA AMPAT (Indonesia) • He once hunted sharks for a living, and was proud of it too - because in the remote village of Arborek in Raja Ampat, shark fins were what brought home the bacon.

But that was more than a decade ago. Since then, the tide has turned for Mr Ronald Mambrasar, 34, and his village in eastern Indonesia - they have now become advocates of marine conservation.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on July 01, 2018, with the headline Wave of change for former shark hunter and his village. Subscribe