Fisheries are complex social-ecologial systems, where managers struggle to balance the socio-economic interests of fishing communities with the biology and ecology of fisheries species. Spatial closures are a popular measure to address conservation and fisheries management goals; including the protection of shark populations. Placing the context of the research in Indonesia –the global center of tropical marine biodiversity, where the country contributes more to the international shark fin trade than any other country-cum-exporter, the Authors addressed the effectiveness of shark-specific closures to protect sharks, or their impacts on fisher’s behavior. The Authors assessed shark diversity and abundance in an Open Access Zone (OAZ) and two No-Take Zones (NTZs) of a Marine Protected Area (MPA)within the recently-established “Shark Sanctuary” in Raja Ampat, Indonesia; where sharks have high monetary value as a tourism attraction. This Work also highlights interviews with shark fishers, and the changes in their behavior subsequent to the designation of “Shark Sanctuary.”