Bahamas Sharks - Cause for Celebration!

Sharks in The Bahamas can breathe more easily after the nation’s government announced today that all commercial shark fishing in the approximately 630,000 square kilometers (243,244 square miles) of the country’s waters is now prohibited.

“2011 is fast becoming the year of the shark,” said Jill Hepp, manager of global shark conservation for the Pew Environment Group. “Today’s announcement permanently protects more than 40 shark species in Bahamian waters. We applaud the people and government of The Bahamas for being bold leaders in marine conservation.”

The island nation joins Palau, the Maldives and Honduras in prohibiting the commercial fishing of sharks. Together, this adds up to almost 2.4 million square kilometers (926,645 square miles) of ocean, where these animals can now swim safely. The Bahamian sanctuary was created by adding an amendment to the Fisheries Resources (Jurisdiction and Conservation) Act (Chapter 244) to prohibit commercial shark fishing along with the sale, importation and export of shark products.

“The Bahamas’ prohibition on longline fishing gear 20 years ago protected the marine resources of The Bahamas and ensured that our shark populations would remain healthy,” said Eric Carey, executive director of The Bahamas National Trust (BNT). “But there were no specific laws in The Bahamas for sharks, the crown jewels of ocean health. The new regulations signed this morning by Minister Cartwright, ensure that that sharks can continue to thrive for generations in our waters, one of the world’s best places to see sharks.”

The new sanctuary is the result of a partnership between the Pew Environment Group and BNT, which began just as a major Bahamian seafood company announced its intention to catch sharks and export their fins. Globally, commercial fisheries kill up to 73 million sharks annually (threatening the future existence of many species)—mainly for their fins. The collaboration between the Pew Environment Group and BNT produced popular public service announcements and a supportive petition signed by more than 5,000 Bahamians. Staff also coordinated outreach trips to support shark protections by Pierre-Yves Cousteau (son of Jacques Cousteau), scientist and artist Guy Harvey, and Sherman’s Lagoon cartoonist Jim Toomey.

“We congratulate the Right Honorable Hubert Ingraham, the Bahamian Prime Minister, and Lawrence S. Cartwright, Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources, for acting to save sharks, the ocean’s apex predator,” said Hepp.

Press release here.

Bahamas Dealing in Shark Leadership

Add another win in the "March for Sharks" around the globe this week, with the Bahamas moving to enact stringent new fishing protections for sharks.

(Image at Tiger Beach 2011, hooked Lemon shark)

The effort was kicked off by the Bahamas National Trust, Pew Trusts, and Guy Harvey with some help along the way from a variety of sharky sources including some industry help and outreach as well.

We have been fans of this effort from the get go but as Da Shark cautions this is only the beginning as nothing is set in concrete just yet:

The law needs to be drafted, gazetted and signed by the Minister, and then comes the really hard part. Yes once again I'm talking about putting in place all the necessary legal, human and financial resources that are required for its successful enforcement - it will take time, it will be challenging, there will be setbacks and the various players will have their mettle tested. But I am hopeful, the more as the BNT and the dive industry are already working together on education and outreach. Only by changing the public's mind set will the legislation endure in the long term.

Truer words have yet to be spoken on the matter. Kudos to everyone who had a hand in this effort, for every email, phone call, PSA, and group of shark divers introduced to the Sharks of the Bahamas.

Dermal Denticles, Cristina Zenato, and Anti-Bac?

This week CBS news (not known for pro-shark coverage) was in the Bahamas with the First Lady of Shark Diving, Cristina Zenato, to discuss sharks, dermal denticles and researchers use of simulated sharks skin for new anti-bacterial efforts in the lab and beyond.

It's nice to see pro-shark media coming from the Bahamas especially when a critical push to make the Bahamas a full fledged Shark Sanctuary is in the works by many of the regional stakeholders including for the first time shark diving operations.

Image by Christy Fisher.

Complete article here.

Bahamas Shark Sanctuary - Betting on a Sure Thing?

There's quite a conservation push in the Bahamas going on right now, and if we were betting folks, we might give this enterprise a 99% success probability.

The effort is to make most, if not all of the Bahamas a Shark Sanctuary.

If successful a Bahamian Shark Sanctuary would be an unprecedented achievement in the region and would likely cause other Caribbean nations to follow suit - eventually.

The effort has some big NGO names behind it like Matt Rand from Pew Trusts, the Bahamas National Trust, Guy Harvey Foundation, and more encouragingly several of the mainstream commercial shark diving operations in the Bahamas who are at the center of a $78 million dollar a year shark tourism and film and television empire.

The Bahamas, currently reeling from the worst tourism economy in the past 60 years and looking over the horizon at a new and open Cuba, would be wise to move in the direction of broad based conservation initiatives.

Once Cuba opens up, and all indications show that will happen in the next five years, tourism development will leave the Bahamas for the next 20 years. That giant sucking sound Bahamians hear will be the millions of development dollars flowing out of the U.S. and back into Cuba.

The timing for a greener, park based Bahamas, will be the ultimate tourism hedge against Cuba's regional ascension.

A Shark Sanctuary would start the process of reinventing and re-branding the Bahamas in a way that will take an emerging Cuba decades to catch up. Which is why we think that, ultimately, the Bahamian government in Nassau will in fact create their first comprehensive Shark Sanctuary, because at the end of the day, it's all about touri$m.

Image by Christy Fisher.

Matt Rand from PEW - Bahamas Shark Tourism PSA

If you are wondering why so much attention is being directed at shark conservation in recent times Matt Rand, Director of Global Shark Conservation of the PEW Environment Group says it is all becomes of an Asian obsession with shark fin soup.

"Unfortunately, because of their value in a bowl of soup, up to 73 million sharks are killed annually, just so their fins can end up in soup. It is a luxury item, it is not a food item. And what this is causing very rapidly is a global depletion of sharks. Right now 38% of shark species that are in the world's oceans are threatened, or are near threatened with extinction; and those are just the ones that we know. We also know that that statistic is actually short," said Rand.

This global decimation of the shark population is now having a negative impact on the ecosystems of many oceans, but Rand says but for a country that has tourism as its number one industry, potentially there can be a more devastating outcome.

"Here in The Bahamas, shark tourism activity actually brings in $78 million into the economy annually and reef sharks here are actually estimated to be about $250,000 each for shark tourism and shark related activities here in The Bahamas. So it is an important economic driver and it's a sustainable situation. If you leave the sharks in the water, keep them healthy as you currently have them, and keep the ecosystem healthy right now then you will have this resource for future generations to come, so that the kids will actually be able to see a healthy ocean environment as well," continues Rand.

Complete Story.

Warning Graphic Bahamas Shark Images NSFW

The following images are graphic but also serve to highlight the need for ongoing shark protections in the Bahamas. We covered this event back in 2008 and from these images created the concept behind the Shark-Free Marinas Initiative.

Fortunately there's a movement to protect Bahamian sharks with the help of Pew Trusts, the Bahamas National Trust, smaller support NGO's, and interested commercial shark diving operations.

This is why we need to protect the sharks of the Bahamas.

These images were taken in late 2007 and feature a pregnant sport caught Tiger shark with near term pups ripped from her body. This magnificent animal, the pinnacle of a healthy eco system and part of a thriving $70 million dollar Bahamian shark tourism industry, was reduced to a set of jaws - and a series of ghoulish family vacation photos:



TIGER SHARK MARCH 2008

Protect the Sharks of the Bahamas - BNT Push

By ERICA WELLS / Nassau Guardian

The Bahamas National Trust formally launched a local shark conservation campaign Tuesday, aimed at pushing the government to create comprehensive regulations to protect the sharks of The Bahamas.

It’s an effort that carries with it a certain sense of urgency, now that The Bahamas is one of only a few locations around the world that can boast of healthy shark populations.

"Right now when you read through the Bahamian fisheries law, even if you would do a search for the word ‘shark’ you wouldn’t find anything,” noted Jill Hepp, manger, Global Shark Conservation, Pew Environment Group, which is working with the BNT on the “Protect the Sharks of the Bahamas” campaign. “You’re starting from a situation where there’s nothing specifically on the books that would prohibit or restrict or manage the shark populations here.”

While sharks are in trouble globally the state of shark populations here are among the best in the world, according to researchers. The relative health of the shark populations in The Bahamas has been attributed to the country’s ban on long-line fishing in the 1990s — combined with the fact that there is no incentive for local fishermen to sell shark meat. Now, shark researchers and conservationists want to make sure that the healthy shark populations in Bahamian waters stay that way.

Complete Post.

Image from 2009 sport caught Tiger shark - Bahamas.