A diner who was horrified to see an ‘endangered’ shark and two rare fish in a restaurant tank has recorded a video to show how the protected status is being made a mockery of in Malaysia.

The concerned diner sent the alarming footage to Dr Nick Pilcher, project leader at the Save Our Seas Foundation and founder and executive director of the Marine Research Foundation.

The footage shows a zebra shark and two Napoleon wrasses confined in tanks at a restaurant in the city of Kota Kinabalu in the Malaysian state of Sabah.

In a press release sent to Newsflash, the British marine conservationist stated: “It is disheartening to see this threatened shark being kept like this in a restaurant – we can only presume it is there to be sold as food, which is shocking.

“This is an incredibly rare species of shark, one which should be afforded protection by law, according to its Endangered status.

“It is incredible that this species of shark can still be seen in Sabah. Yet sad that one is being kept in this manner for consumption.

“A juvenile Napoleon wrasse is being kept in the tank with the shark, with an adult female Napoleon wrasse in another tank alongside the zebra shark.

“These fish are also listed as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List, and are only regularly sighted in protected areas, such as Pulau Sipadan.”

The zebra shark (Stegostoma fasciatum) is endangered due to commercial fishing across most of its range – the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region, where it usually rests on the sea bottom – as its meat, fins and liver oil are prized.

It attains an average length of 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) and is not usually dangerous to humans. Its numbers are believed to be dwindling.

The Napoleon – or humphead – wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) is also found in the Indo-Pacific region, where it inhabits coral reefs.

The average male length is under a metre (3.3 ft). However, it can reach up to two metres (6.6 ft) and weigh up to 180 kilogrammes (28 st). It is blue to green in colour.

It faces a number of threats, the primary one being overfishing. Following a 99 percent decline in the local population, its export out of Sabah is banned. However, it still continues illegally.

Dr Pilcher stated: “From a conservation perspective, it is frustrating to see these animals being kept in this manner – or landed and sold in fish markets, especially when so many government bodies and NGOs are working together to protect the incredible marine biodiversity found in Sabah.

“Endangered species such as these should be afforded full protection by law, and not exploited by restaurant owners and traders.”