Two years ago almost to the day, we ran a story here on MantaWatch asking your opinion whether shark fishing was right or wrong.

This story was prompted by my reaction to a shop in Jakarta airport openly selling dried shark fins.

In the story I acknowledged that the shark fin trade is not illegal in Indonesia, questioned my initial reaction, and explored the ethics of the market for shark products.

Two years later I’m pleased to report that the shop in Jakarta airport has voluntarily removed shark fins from its product lines.

Shark’s fin on the menu in Dec 2010.

The same sign in Dec 2012. Note the blacked out section.

This is a fantastic result, and a testament to all of you who voiced your opinions on this matter.

We all have a role to play in protecting our planet. Through the choices we make and the products we buy, we can strengthen markets for sustainably sourced products, and weaken markets for more questionable products.

This particular shop in Jakarta airport deserves to be commended for taking a positive stance to protect these threatened creatures. Lets hope that the remaining wildlife products are also gradually being phased out.