Bimini's Manatee is Heading Home

Vacation time has finally come to an end for a large manatee that has spent the last several weeks around Bimini. First spotted back in November, this large male has been quite a spectacular site for people to see. Unfortunately, Bimini is not considered suitable habitat for manatees, so a decision was made to return this gentle sea cow back home.

Together a team from the Bahamas Department of Marine Resources, US Fish & Wildlife, the Miami SeaQuarium, the US Coast Guard, U.S. Geological Survey & the Dolphin Communication Project developed a plan to capture the manatee and return it to Florida for further evaluation.

Once in Florida, the team will be able to genetically test the manatee to determine exactly where it came from, and as long as it’s healthy, return it home.

Crew from Bimini Sands, Bimini Undersea, the Sharklab and even a passing fishing boat also joined the effort to safely capture and transport the manatee last Saturday. In fact, the manatee was found and captured right off the beach in front of Bimini Sands.

Further updates can be found on the Dolphin Communication Project website by clicking here.

Bimini Marine Protected Area Declared

A few years back, Bimini was proposed as the highest-priority site in all of the Bahamas for a Marine Protected Area, and last night a team of esteemed dignitaries from Nassau visited North Bimini to declare that the MPA had officially been designated.

By establishing Bimini's MPA, the government of the Bahamas has taken a bold and highly encouraging step towards building a sustainable future for the islands of Bimini, and well beyond. As the only marine nursery habitat on the western Great Bahama Bank, Bimini's mangrove nurseries replenish thousands of square miles of the ocean. By securing this MPA, Bimini's marine ecosystem will forever have a foundation to grow from.

The benefits from Bimini's MPA should be widespread and long-lasting, hopefully including a sustained sport-fishing and eco-tourism industry, as well as sustenance for local Biminites and habitat for a wealth of native wildlife.

Check back to the Bimini Sands Blog for more developing information about this exciting news...

Bimini Sands is now a "Shark Free Marina"

Bimini Sands is excited to announce that we are officially the first marina in the Bahamas to join the Shark Free Marinas Initiative. The purpose of the initiative is to educate the public about the importance of sharks in our marine eco-systems and promote 'Catch & Release' practices to our guests.

We feel that the harvesting of sharks for photo images or souvenir jaws is not in the best interests of the Bahamian people or Bahamian tourism. By asking vessels not to arrive at our facilities with sharks, we hope to encourage responsible sport fishing, thereby ensuring a lasting and healthy population of sharks in Bahamian waters for future generations and contributing to the overall health of the Caribbean.

The decision to support this initiative is not based on sensationalistic media reports, but rather the best available science that proves that sharks play a critical role in balancing the health of the ocean and, in fact, pose very little threat to people.

Bimini Sands asks for your support in ensuring that the waters of the Bahamas stay healthy, clean & teeming with fish for generations to come.

For more information about the Shark Free Marinas Initiative, contact Grant Johnson at grant@biminisands.com or Patric Douglas at sharkcrew@gmail.com

Bimini Sands Featured on Upcoming ESPN2 Show!

The Bimini Sands Resort & Marina will be featured on an upcoming episode of ESPN2's hit show, George Poveromo's World of Saltwater Fishing.

George and his crew have visited Bimini many times, drawn by the fantastic fishing and excellent accomodations. When talking about Bimini Sands, George recently noted, "Bimini Sands Resort & Marina is the place to be when visiting Bimini. The facility has everything from upscale accomodations to eco-tours."

The upcoming episode will feature George and contest winner from Idaho, whose prize was an exciting fishing trip with George Poveromo and a stay at Bimini Sands.

The show is set to air at 7:30 am (EST) on February 8, 2009 with a repeat showing at 6:30 am (EST) on Valentine's Day.

Be sure to watch, and for more info about the show Click Here!