The Bahamas National Trust and the PEW Environmental Group have recently launched a campaign to establish the Bahamas as a shark sanctuary. Their goal is not to criminalize sport- or sustenance-fishing, but rather prevent a commercial shark fishery from being started in Bahamian waters. The Bahamas boasts some of the healthiest shark populations in the northern Atlantic, and the environmental and economic reasons to protect sharks here are vast.
Not only do sharks play an unrivaled role in preserving and maintaining the health of our marine ecosystems, but shark-based tourism in the Bahamas generates upwards of around $80 million dollars every year.
As part of this campaign to "Protect the Sharks of the Bahamas", the crew from the Bimini Sands Recreation Department teamed up with our friends at the SharkLab to distribute some fantastic, informative posters around Bimini yesterday.
The goal is to build local support for this protection effort, and judging by the response of the Biminites we spoke with, this campaign will be very successful. Every single Biminite our team spoke with was supportive of the idea of banning commercial shark fishing in the Bahamas!
Bimini Sands has been supporting shark conservation around Bimini for years, most notably by becoming the first Shark Free Marina, not only in the Bahamas, but in the entire world!
Next time you visit Bimini, make sure you make it a point to learn about the importance of sharks in the Bahamas. Not only can you tour the world famous Bimini Biological Field Station right here on South Bimini, but you can also join one of Bimini Sands' extremely popular Shark Encounters, and see these amazing animals for yourself!
(Photo Above: Emily Marcus from the SharkLab, Pat David from Ebbie's Bimini Bonefish Club, and Katie Grudecki from the Bimini Sands Recreation & Activity Department)
