Government Ministers urged to protect sharks
By MEGAN REYNOLDS
Tribune Staff Reporter
mreynolds@tribunemedia.net
GOVERNMENT ministers were encouraged to adopt legislation to outlaw shark fishing at a breakfast briefing on shark conservation hosted by the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) yesterday morning.
Experts from the international non-profit organisation the Pew Environmental Group told Cabinet ministers how such legislation would not only ensure the health of the coral reefs and sustain vital fisheries, it would also continue to support the lucrative shark tourism industry as local populations are unmatched elsewhere in the Caribbean.
Director of global shark conservation for the Pew Environmental Group Matt Rand explained how shark populations are declining worldwide as 73 million a year are fished for their fins to be used in the Chinese delicacy shark fin soup.
“Because of this luxury item these creatures are being wiped off the planet,” Mr Rand said.
“The oceans have evolved for more than 400 million years with sharks and they never had predators.
“Suddenly the hunters have become the hunted, and we are taking that top predator out of the ecosystem and by doing that we are disrupting the whole marine balance. “For a country that depends on fishing, disrupting the marine balance could have severe consequences,” he said.
Sharks thrive in Bahamian waters by virtue of a long-line fishing ban imposed 20 years ago to prevent them from becoming by-catch – fish caught unintentionally.
Around 40 species of sharks are estimated to live in Bahamian waters.
Because of the healthy population the Bahamas has become known as “shark diving capital of the world” and attracts visitors to the tune of $78 million a year.
It has also supported 60 scientific research publications over the last 20 years, and allowed for a healthy marine environment.
Mr Rand said: “There are few locations where you can get in the water and see sharks, and you have defacto protection now, but not legislative protection.
“We think this would be a great opportunity, not only for the sharks, but also for the Bahamas.”
The Pew Environment Group has worked with governments around the world and was successful in Palau and the Maldives which have become sanctuaries for sharks.
Although sharks have never been targetted by the fishing industry in the Bahamas, the threat of international demand for shark fins was raised when sea cucumber export company Sunco Wholesale Seafood Ltd CEO James Mackey told The Tribune he would explore the possibility of shark finning from his operation in Mastic Point, North Andros for export to Hong Kong.
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Larry Cartwright reassured interested parties attending the event at the British Colonial Hilton yesterday that “the current policy of the government is to not allow for the export of shark fins, etcetera.”
However he did not indicate whether he would implement legislation to protect sharks as he commented on their multi-faceted importance for the marine ecosystem, tourism and scientific research.
“In this vein I applaud the efforts now being made by the BNT and others to protect sharks in the exclusive zone of the Bahamas,” Mr Cartwright said.
As apex predators, sharks feed on large fish, which in turn feed on herbivorous fish that control levels of algae on the reef. Removing them from the equation could have an unprecedented impact on large fish, herbivorous fish and algae levels. BNT president Neil McKinney said: “In this country it’s not just sharks, but the entire marine ecosystem that we need to try to protect, because if we break the web, or a link in the chain, there is a cascading effect.
“The loss of sharks would directly impact our coral reefs. We have to protect what we have. We cannot be a bread basket for the rest of the world and we have to be very careful so that it is here for generations after us.
“That is why there is a need for legislative protection, because policy can be changed much more easily than legislation.”
BNT executive director Eric Carey added: “A lot of times we advocate for issues when species are almost beyond recovery. We have a good opportunity now to do something for sharks while they are still healthy in the Bahamas.”
To find out more and support the campaign click to see The Bahamas National Trust and The Pew Charitable Trusts websites.
November 10, 2010
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