A Classic look at Negaprion brevirostris Bahamas

Shot somewhere "recently" in the Bahamas. A classic look at everyone's favorite local sharks:

 

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

Cristina Zenato - The First Lady of Shark Diving

Image : Eddy Raphael

"I view them in a different way – sharks are animals, and like any other animals, we just need to learn how to interact with them, live with them, we can't wipe out the ocean of sharks just to make it safer, and educate people about how can we do that safely... There's times when you can be in the water with sharks and there's times when you don't see them and you should not be in the water. It's all about knowledge. Without knowledge, we fear." 

A quick quote from this weeks Freeport News article featuring UNEXSO's shark programs manager in residence Cristina Zenato.

The article is as good as it gets and a tribute to the shark diving industry, if you have 5 minutes today you'll want to be reading this. Cristina manages to bring home the balance between humans and sharks without any of the standard anthropomorphological quotes you tend to see in the industry equating sharks to anything but what they truly are - predators.

If you're looking for talking points for your next shark diving interview the 5 minute read is all but mandatory, spoken by a shark diving professional whose world is fortunate enough to intersect with these magnificent animals on a daily basis.

Kudos.

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.

Video - Hammerhead "ache"

Fly fishing for Bonefish is fun, watching a Hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokarran) on preadation chasing down a much smaller Lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris) in the Bahamas last week - even more so.

Fortunately the little Lemon shark survived, unfortunately there's a Hammerhead in the Bahamas with a big welt on his snout:

New Shark-Free Marinas 1500 Marina Push

From the Shark-Free Marinas website this week:

After quite a bit of work from some very capable and knowledgeable people the new Shark-Free Marinas brochures are now available.

They feature artwork generously provided by the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation and scientific contributions from many of our advisors.

Click on the image for a larger view of the artwork and message. You may also use the link provided to download a PDF version on the bottom.

As you read this these brochures are speeding their way around the USA destined for 1500 marinas around the country. If you would like to recieve a package of 10 brochures please write to staff@sharkfreemarinas.com and tell us where you plan to hand them out. We suggest going into your local marina, dive shop, tackle store or classroom to talk about the need to protect our sharks.

A very special thanks to all who were involved especially those who let us use their names, message and artwork.

Download PDF version here.

Off to the Bahamas - Sharks

We're on another tight project schedule for Shark Divers this week somewhere in the Bahamas.

Once again sharks are the primary focus for us and we'll be sure to throw a few pithy conservation quotes in for the mass audience.

We'll update you when we get back from the always exciting shark filled waters of the Bahamas.

Our 2010 white shark season with the extra date is almost sold out, congratulations to Sarah from L.A and Paul from the U.K who joined us on our just announced Oct 9-14 expedition to Isla Guadalupe.

We have two more spaces left for that departure at a $300 discount, join us.

While we are offline we'll do a neat hand off to Da Shark in Fiji who is back online and has a few things to say about Wolfgang's recent industry expose.

Should be an interesting week.

Image by Christy Fisher.

Shark Feeding Zeitgeist Monday

We will be posting Wolfgangs industry observations about Tiger feeding today. In a case of Monday Sharky Zeitgeist Why Sharks Matter covered the same issue from a different angle.

Commercial shark diving and research. It is hard data that helps our industry counter the hysterical anti-shark diving sentiment that often finds its way into the media mainstream:

Bahamas National Trust - Shark Sanctuary?

If the folks from Pew and the Bahamas National Trust have their way the Bahamas might be declared a shark sanctuary sometime soon.

That would be a good thing.

What is the current value of shark tourism to the Bahamas?

An industry study done in 2008 revealed the value of shark tourism to the Bahamas was roughly $78 million per year with over 44 thousand safe human/shark interactions per year by dive industry members.

That's where this recent article by the Tribune and associated quotes that went with it had us concerned. Not one shark diving industry member was mentioned in it, and no statistics concerning our industry either regionally or internationally were mentioned.

The shark diving industry has a lot to do with the perception of sharks and to tourism in the Bahamas. In short, regional industry players must be front and center with this push to protect sharks.

Perhaps it is time for Bahamas operators to get quoted and get out in front of this issue?

Bahamas Shark Fin - Tracking the Players

The stunning news that a commercial Sea Cucumber operation in the Bahamas is considering moving into shark fin harvesting should have pretty much every single commercial diving operation in the regional and beyond in an uproar.

This is the worst news to hit the region for sharks in a decade.

Once shark finning begins it will be nearly impossible to stop and with the lack of fisheries enforcement in the region it will spread.

Currently shark fin retails for anywhere from $150-$1400 a kilo making this a top priority. Sea Cucumber also retails for anywhere from $40-$300 a kilo.

The company in question is SUNCO Wholesale Seafood LTD and has existing trade contacts in China with Shenzhen Fengyuhua Trade Co., Ltd via a shell company in New Jersey Yafee Inc.

A call to Yafee Inc this morning confirmed they are a dried seafood wholesale outfit.

Good News?

In May of 2010 a new seafood trade association The Bahamas Marine Exporters Association (BMEA) was formed in the Bahamas to manage sustainable lobster fisheries in tandem with outside help and guidance from NGO's.

The BMEA has an existing relationship with WWF in the region making WWF an additional point source to leverage fisheries contacts to begin the process of rolling back SUNCO's regional shark fin ambitions in tandem with The Bahamas National Trust.

Update: The Bahamas Commercial Fisheries Alliance is taking point on this issue.

Another Tiger taken in Bahamas - Media Field Day

The sad news of another Tiger shark sport caught in Bahamian waters has turned up a grim discovery and mystery as human remains are found inside:

Coral Harbour Base, 04 September 2010 (RBDF) :

Crew members of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force Enduring Friendship vessel EF-28 boarded and searched a 30 foot Bahamian registered fishing vessel shortly after 11:00 a.m. this morning, some 35 miles south of New Providence.

The search revealed the badly decomposed parts of what is believed to be human remains. The 3 Bahamian fishermen aboard reported that the 12 foot tiger shark they had captured had regurgitated the parts.

The fishing vessel accompanied the EF 28 back to Coral Harbour Base where the predator was dissected and other body parts were discovered. Police were on hand to conduct interviews and collect samples for further processing.

Editors Note: Nothing good for Tigers in the region can come of this grim discovery.

Today's Sharks: Smart, Tagged, and in Short Supply

Scientific American did a great piece this month with Doc Gruber in the Bahamas on sharks, research and conservation.

Sci Am jumped into the shark conservation arena with Shark Diver on 2008, but this latest article hits all the right notes.

Kudos.

"Many sharks have good learning capacity, which is one way we measure intelligence," says Samuel Gruber, a marine biologist at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS), who discovered in 1975 that lemon sharks could learn a classical conditioning task 80 times faster than a cat or rabbit. "I was shocked to find that they could learn so rapidly," he says.

Understanding Tigers like Guy Harvey Does

Thanks to the Guy Harvey Foundation and tagging work being done in Bermuda through the invitation of veterinarian Dr. Neil Burnie, who has independently running a tiger shark research effort, the once elusive world of Bahamas tiger sharks is opening up.

Or are they Bermudas tigers?

Recent tagging data is showing a migration pattern that is interesting to say the least.

For the past decade the question of where these animals vanished to periodically was on commercial shark diving operators minds in the region.

Last year Guy Harvey's Dr. Mahmood Shivji, and company decided to find out. They reported back with an in depth discussion on conservation, marine protected areas, and current tagging with Dr. Neil.

Last month a tiger was sport caught in Bermuda setting off a storm of controversy, tigers are also sport caught with relative impunity in Bahamian waters as well.

With this latest data interesting questions about protection for these animals comes up. As commercial shark diving operators ourselves we have long advocated and enabled in depth shark research at the primary dive sites we operate in. Understanding the animals we work with is the key to working with the resource beyond just the commercial which leads to greater protections backed by in depth site data.

Local efforts to shepherd and steward sharks is the hallmark of commercial shark diving in many places worldwide. Kudos to the work being done by Dr.Neil, Guy Harvey, Dr. Mahmood, and others who are in a race to uncover the once secretive world of tigers.

Only good things can come of this latest discovery.

Deadly pursuit: The moment diver comes face to face with killer shark

Only the Daily Mail could come up with a 1970's shark headline like this.

It might even sell a few more papers.

Kudos to underwater photographer Brian Skerry (we're huge fans) for getting in the shark conservation messaging he did and great quotes by Doc G talking about shark declines in the region.

Also continuing fantastic Oceanic White Tip images coming out of Cat Island (just a wild guess) in the Bahamas.

In all a balanced piece with a major media outlet seemingly biased towards selling shark horror and not the actual shark. While the article tries to paint sharks badly the images and direct quotes tell a different story.

Good News and Bad News About Sharks - Bahamas

If you're a shark conservationist you'll be interested in the following Op Ed/Announcement by Larry Smith.

Compelling and reasoned discussion of the future of sharks and one direction for shark conservation:

Well folks, when it comes to sharks - we have some good news and some bad news.

The bad news is that sharks - like most other big fish in the ocean - are not long for this world if we continue overfishing on an industrial-scale.

The good news is that because driftnet and longline fishing are banned in the Bahamas, our shark populations are relatively stable. In fact, National Geographic described Bahamian waters as a relative "Eden" for sharks compared to the rest of the world.

Complete Post

Scientists and Resort Partner on Shark-Free Marina Initiative

Cape Eleuthera, The Bahamas —To combat the unnecessary killing of sharks, The Shark-Free Marina Initiative (SFMI) launched last month with support from researchers and marinas around the world. The Cape Eleuthera Institute's (CEI) Shark Program, led by Edd Brooks, is now an advisor to the initiative. This project works to reduce the worldwide shark mortality by prohibiting the landing of any caught shark at a participating marina. To encourage support from the fishing industry, the initiative promotes catch-and-release practices to collect data and return sharks to their natural habitat unharmed.

“Sharks are arguably the most endangered group of animals in the world's oceans, a worrying fact given the critical role they play in structuring all marine ecosystems, including the coral reefs of The Bahamas,” says CEI shark researcher and SFMI advisor Edd Brooks, "In the face of this current crisis action is required on every level and the SFMI offers a collaborative way for fishermen and scientists to work together. We are not asking fishermen to stop fishing, only to release the shark as quickly and cleanly as possible."

The Bahamas is home to abundant shark populations where worldwide their numbers are declining. Shark tourism is a crucial component of attracting visitors to the area who bring in $6,000,000 annually to view sharks. A single Caribbean reef shark is estimated to bring in $13,300-$40,000 annually from tourism, with a possible high of $200,000 over the course of the shark’s lifetime. The value of the same shark killed is estimated at $50-$60 when brought to market or nothing if just a photo is taken. SFMI promotes making sharks and their habitats the focus of research, education, and adequate conservation strategies to sustain shark populations, as well as the tourism industry.

The Cape Eleuthera Institute is partnering with nearby Cape Eleuthera Resort & Yacht Club to support this movement to protect an invaluable marine species. “Our surrounding waters and marine life are the Cape’s greatest asset and as a resort we will support every effort to protect this vibrant environment for future generations,” notes Stephen Kappeler, general manager of Cape Eleuthera Resort & Yacht Club. “Becoming a Shark-Free Marina will help us inform visiting anglers to catch and release sharks instead of destroying this crucial member of the ocean ecosystem.”

Visit www.sharkfreemarina.com to register your marina or find out more about the Shark-Free Marina Initiative. Go online for additional information about the Cape Eleuthera Institute www.ceibahamas.org and Cape Eleuthera Resort & Yacht Club www.capeeleuthera.com.

Oceana - Homerun Shark Conservation

Proving "masters of the message" NGO Oceana has recently launched a new campaign featuring January Jones (Mad Men) in an easy to understand campaign to save sharks.

Here's why we like it:

1. Straight forward messaging
2. Simple visuals
3. Good tag lines

Effective shark conservation starts with credible sources and track records - Kudos to Oceana for this latest effort and to the Bimini Shark Lab for enabling this production.

Guy Harvey - The Future, One Tag at a Time

Here is the quote of the month from Guy Harvey returning from a recent hybrid shark diving and research trip to Tiger Beach, Bahamas aboard the Gulf Stream Eagle:

''We should tag every one of these animals to see where they go,'' Harvey said. ``The ultimate would be to have the species protected or -- if not -- this area of the Bahama Bank could be [designated] no shark fishing. This is the beginning of what will hopefully be a 20-year study where we involve the Bahamian government, researchers from various institutions [and] dive operators.''

A concise reading of the future of commercial shark diving and of shark conservation. Some operators have come to understand and accept this future, some have even embraced it with local conservation and science initiatives that return much needed tracking data for conservation.

Tiger Beach, Bahamas is at a crossroads. It is impressive that industry leaders are now coming forth to set the conservation agenda, leveraging partnerships with research and tourism to seek a better future for one of the worlds most remarkable shark sites. Kudos.

Full Story

Stuart Cove - Pro Shark Media 101

Hard not to be impressed with commercial shark operator Stuart Cove, Bahamas. As a template for "How to do Shark Media 101" today's ABC News GMA piece was a cornucopia of pro shark images, data, and industry quotes.

As a commercial shark diving operator you can do pro shark, pro industry media. As Stuarts Cove has aptly demonstrated you need to pick your partners well.

Running with the three tenets of shark media, host country, sharks, and divers this weekend Stuart Cove rolled out a great piece that carefully balanced all three and delivered an industry home run:

The divers feed the sharks small amounts of food to better observe them, but they're careful not to disrupt the ecosystem. A scientist from a Vancouver university who studies these Caribbean reef sharks estimates the food from the divers has about as much impact on the sharks' diets as eating one grape a day would have on a human's diet.

Complete Story

Sharks and Idiots - A Dark Nexus

You have to read the news of a recent bull shark attack in the Bahamas this week twice. At first this is your standard story of a speereo who had unwittingly brought on a 7 foot bull shark with a freshly speared grouper (ambrosia for sharks). This is a typical shark/human story that usually resolves its self without anyone getting hurt.

Then Mr. Luis Hernandez went on to recount what happened to him, telling a local reporter the circumstances that lead up to his unfortunate mauling:

Luis Hernandez, who was in the mood for fish, had just speared a grouper at a local reef when he spotted the shark.

"The first thing I thought was, 'Wow, nice shark!" he said. "So I swam a little closer and thought about spearing it, but decided to let it go. I just poked it so it would get out of my way."

But the shark wouldn't leave. It eventually lunged at him, sinking its teeth into his arm.

Clearly his shark tale puts this encounter back on Mr.Hernandez who, after spearing a grouper, decided to engage a 7 foot bull shark. In the realm of good ideas, with wetting your finger and applying it to a light socket being say, a "one" - Mr. Hernandez executed a perfect "negative 20" with his shark stunt and paid the ultimate price.

Sharks are not playthings. They are predators. Your first reaction to a wild, baited bull shark, should never be "Wow, nice shark!". Sadly this is not the first time someone has made a miscalculation with a baited bull as this video from You Tube reminds us:

Cape Eleuthera Institute, Shark Free Marinas

Last year we launched an "open source" shark conservation measure called the Shark Free Marinas Initiative .

"Open source" is something you'll typically find with software development. It's a way of taking a concept and allowing a community to tweak and slightly change the concept to make it better. Thus far a few members of our community have done so and Kudos to those who have seen the potential and wanted to help.

"Open source" is an experiment in shark initiatives and one we're happy to say is slowly taking on shape and form in the Bahamas where another industry member has signed on and pushed this effort forward on the island of Eleuthera, with the Cape Eleuthera Institute.

Last week Edd Brooks featured the SFMI in the Save our Seas Blog retelling another story of senseless shark slaughter in the Bahamas for "trophy sharks":

"So a little while ago the son of one of our visiting scientists was wandering the docks of the local marina and spotted a large bull shark.Unfortunately the shark was dead, killed in the early hours of the morning by a group of guys who were having a party in which the side entertainment was killing this young female shark."

Kudos for joining the SFMI - the new website will go live next week featuring the Cape Eleuthera Institute.