KOROR, Palau -- For its fiery stance against shark finning, Palau received the "Shark Guardian of the Year" award from a German conservation organization.

In the last year, Palau passed a law banning shark finning, the controversial practice of cutting off the high-valued shark fins and tossing the shark body overboard. Palau also took the additional step of banning shark fishing altogether.

That new law followed Palau President Tommy Remengesau setting fire to a gasoline-doused pile of seized shark fins. The act was meant to notify foreign fishermen that Palau sharks were off limits and to call attention to the need for stronger laws protecting sharks. Under the old law, Palau only prevented vessels from targeting sharks with specific tackle.

Palau followed that shark fin blaze with another bonfire in January after the first vessel found with shark fins was stopped under the new law. Remengesau said he again wanted to send a message to foreign fishermen, adding that it was hypocritical for Palau to ban the practice and then sell the fins.The haul was worth $180,000.

"Palau was the winner due to its outstanding work to protect their marine resources," said Harald Baensch, vice president of SharkProject.

Across the Pacific and the globe, fishermen have increasingly targeted sharks for markets in Southeast Asia where the expensive dish of shark fin soup is widely popular. Marine biologists say sharks reproduce slowly and overfishing quickly kills off shark populations.

"I hope it inspires the leadership to continue to lead the way in bringing an end to the shameful and destructive practice of shark-finning," said Dermot Keane, who was among the delegation that received the award for Palau in Düsseldorf, Germany, and is the founder of Palau Shark Sanctuary Fund.