From Shark Hunters to Shark Taggers: Tourism Projects Giving Poachers a Way Out
Project Hiu, founded in 2018 by Australian filmmaker Madison Stewart, was named to Condé Nast Traveler's Bright Ideas in Travel 2026 list.
Stewart traveled to Indonesia for a documentary on the shark fishing industry. Indonesia catches more sharks than any other country, supplying over 12% of the global market. In East Lombok's Tanjung Luar and Gili Maringkik, fishermen spent weeks away from their families hunting endangered species and others. Though the practice is strictly regulated, some broke laws protecting threatened species like whale sharks when no other income existed.
Named after the Bahasa Indonesia word for shark, Project Hiu hires fishermen and their boats for snorkeling trips with blacktip reef sharks and sailing day tours around East Lombok. About 80 fishermen across 15 boats now support tagging and research of their former prey, work that led to the world-first tagging of 10 tiger sharks in Indonesian waters. "I hope this work inspires others to look beyond simply telling people to stop fishing and instead address why they fish in the first place," Stewart said.
Similar efforts exist elsewhere. At the Philippines' Masungi Georeserve, former logger Ruben Gianan now navigates the limestone ecosystem as a veteran ranger. In Raja Ampat, Misool Resort occupies a former shark-finning camp, and the Misool Foundation's ranger patrols-staffed largely by former dynamite fishers-have seen shark numbers double since 2012.
In Tanzania, guide Anderson Mgesi grew up eating bushmeat before his family was evicted when Ruaha National Park expanded. After his grandfather was mauled by a leopard caught in a trap, Mgesi studied at Mkuyu Wildlife School and became a guide at Usangu Expedition Camp with Asilia Africa. "Conservation's future lies in neighboring communities benefiting directly from tourism," he said.
In Cambodia's Cardamom Mountains, Shinta Mani Wild and Wildlife Alliance train former snare-setters to intercept illegal logging and poaching of sun bears, pangolins, clouded leopards, and pileated gibbons. The alliance has removed about 350,000 traps in the region. General manager Jacky Collett-Stevens, who came from community conservation work in Rwanda, said people there have seen that protecting mountain gorillas brings lasting value.
"When communities are given genuine alternatives, fair pay and opportunities, the impact reaches far beyond conservation," Stewart said. "They are the villains in everyone's story, but they are the heroes in ours."