An Eden for Sharks

Holland, J. 2007. Blue waters of the Bahamas: An eden for sharks. National Geographic Magazine 211:116-137.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/03/bahamian-sharks/holland-text/1

The Article “Blue waters of the Bahamas, is about the very valuable, diverse habitat that the Caribbean provides for numerous species to thrive in. With its combination of reefs, sandy beaches, mangroves, lagoons, grass beds and sheer drops amid shallow waters, this heterogeneous environment is a nursery for several species of sharks to reside in. Because sharks continue to carry a bad reputation due to the images media portrays, research dollars and public support is hard to come by. With the Bahamas still being a young country, they too need to learn their own mistakes and successes regarding the very fine line between development and ecological protection.

To expand on the description of the fine line, the Bahamians depend on tourists to bring in half of the gross national product. In order to keep enticing fishing and diving visitors, development must be present as well as a beautifully diverse ecosystem, but there needs to be a balance involving gentle development that attracts manageable amounts of tourists and preservation of sharks in their ecosystem.  What people don’t realize is that sharks are valuable in that they individually bring in $200,000 each in tourism revenue over a lifetime, in addition they are a keystone species that if depleted would not keep other carnivores in check that in turn would reduce the abundance of algae-eating fish that keep coral reefs healthy. Sharks also weed out weak and sick fish only to provide the most fit and healthy fish to the locals.

On top of habitat loss to numerous species of sharks, 73 million die annually to worldwide shark finning which is illegal, cruel and very wasteful. Commercial fishing also contributes to unintended as well as targeted captures of millions of sharks. This is very unsettling and to add to all this sharks have slow reproductive rates. With the development of more marine sanctuaries and complementary strict enforcement, sharks and their most bountiful ecosystems can be preserved to feed local people and keep visitors coming to support what they love to experience.

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