Bimini Marine Protected Area: Take Action Now

Bimini is a tiny little island gem located just 50 miles from the East coast of Florida. It has a rich and eclectic history wrapped around fishing, the Bermuda Triangle, the Rat Pack, rum running and shark science. While other elements are fairly fascinating, I am going to focus on the shark science. The mangroves of Bimini provide an ideal nursery ground for juvenile lemon sharks and the proximity to the Gulf Stream brings in large pelagics, making Bimini a very sharky location. Lemon sharks, tiger sharks, nurse sharks, Caribbean reef sharks, great hammerheads and bull sharks are just a few of the regulars that can be found in the waters surrounding these islands in the stream.















I have had the great fortune of spending a lot of time in this amazing place and actually got married there just over 2 months ago. My husband was a manager at the Bimini Biological Field Station (Sharklab) for a few years before we worked a season on a dolphin boat. I had worked with the Sharklab on several projects and first visited the island in 2004. Bimini is our second home and one of the most beautiful places on the planet. We travel a lot and there really is no place like Bimini, not even in the Bahamas. With this being said, Bimini is in trouble. Man’s desire for bigger, better, faster has consumed parts of the island and is threatening to push onward. It boggles my mind as to why Bimini needs a casino or golf course when there are at least a dozen of either within 100 miles.

Bimini is not just sharks, but a dynamic mix of amazing animals above and below the surface. Sea turtles, snapper, Atlantic spotted dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, stingrays, lobster, saw fish, the Bimini boa, land crabs and dozens of species of birds are all connected to the mangroves in some way.













The exciting part about exploring Bimini is that you never know what you might find.
Black tip reef sharks might come in to check you out on the East side of the island or a massive manta ray might fly past on the sand flats to the west. A pod of 50 spotted dolphins might want to play or a nurse shark might lay down on the bottom beside you. Schools of snapper dart in and out of the mangrove roots and juvenile lemon sharks maneuver through the channels. Juvenile green turtles take refuge in the mangrove creeks and eagle rays leap in the Alice Town channel. There is no end to the magic that Bimini holds and there are a million reasons why it needs to be protected.



There is a movement to finalize the details and full implementation of the Bimini Marine Protected Area. Below are sample letters for both Bahamian citizens and non-Bahamian citizens. Please take a moment to sign your name and send. Defining the parameters of the MPA and enforcing it our crucial for the survival of Bimini’s natural wonder. The ecosystem will suffer greatly without people fighting to save it.

Also check out a great blog by Kristine Stump, former BBFS primary investigator.

Sample letter for Bahamian citizens:
The Rt. Hon. Perry Gladstone Christie
Prime Minister of the Bahamas
Sir Cecil Wallace Whitfield Centre
P O Box CB 10980
Nassau, N.P., The Bahamas
primeminister@bahamas.gov.bs


The Hon. Obediah H. Wilchcombe
Minister of Tourism
Member of Parliament – West Grand Bahama and Bimini
Ministry of Tourism
British Colonial Hilton Hotel
Bay Street
P.O. Box N3701
Nassau, N.P. Bahamas
westgbbimini@myplp.org


The Hon. Kenred Dorsett
Minister of the Environment
Environment, The Ministry of
3rd Floor Manx Corporate Center
West Bay Street
P. O. Box N-3040
Nassau, N.P., The Bahamas
dianalightbourne@bahamas.gov.bs


Michael Braynen
Director of Fisheries
Department of Marine Resources
Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources,
East Bay 
P O Box N 3028
Nassau, N.P., The Bahamas
fisheries@bahamas.gov.bs


Affirmed as the Highest-Priority site in all of the Bahamas in 2000, and officially declared in December of 2008 by the Bahamas Minister of the Environment, the Honorable Dr. Earl Deveaux, the Bimini Marine Protected Area aims to preserve one of the richest environments in the Bahamas.


Now, in 2012, we are respectfully asking for the finalization and full implementation of Bimini’s Marine Protected Area (MPA).


By establishing the exact boundaries, rules, and regulations for Bimini’s MPA, we will preserve the unique heritage of this precious “Island in the Stream.” Bimini’s MPA will serve as the foundation from which this island’s economic and ecological future will grow, benefitting every individual and every business on the island.


As a proud Bahamian who cherishes our natural environment, I hereby offer my strong support in the full establishment of Bimini’s Marine Protected Area, and respectfully ask that the Government of the Bahamas treat this issue as a top priority for 2012.


For Bimini,
YOUR NAME HERE


Sample letter for non-Bahamian citizens


The Rt. Hon. Perry Gladstone Christie
Prime Minister of the Bahamas
Sir Cecil Wallace Whitfield Centre
P O Box CB 10980
Nassau, N.P., The Bahamas
primeminister@bahamas.gov.bs


The Hon. Obediah H. Wilchcombe
Minister of Tourism
Member of Parliament – West Grand Bahama and Bimini
Ministry of Tourism
British Colonial Hilton Hotel
Bay Street
P.O. Box N3701
Nassau, N.P. Bahamas
westgbbimini@myplp.org


The Hon. Kenred Dorsett
Minister of the Environment
Environment, The Ministry of
3rd Floor Manx Corporate Center
West Bay Street
P. O. Box N-3040
Nassau, N.P., The Bahamas
dianalightbourne@bahamas.gov.bs


Michael Braynen
Director of Fisheries
Department of Marine Resources
Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources,
East Bay 
P O Box N 3028
Nassau, N.P., The Bahamas
fisheries@bahamas.gov.bs


Affirmed as the Highest-Priority site in all of the Bahamas in 2000, and officially declared in December of 2008 by the Bahamas Minister of the Environment, the Honorable Dr. Earl Deveaux, the Bimini Marine Protected Area aims to preserve one of the richest environments in the Bahamas.


Now, in 2012, we are respectfully asking for the finalization and full implementation of Bimini’s Marine Protected Area (MPA).


By establishing the exact boundaries, rules, and regulations for Bimini’s MPA, we will preserve the unique heritage of this precious “Island in the Stream.” Bimini’s MPA will serve as the foundation from which this island’s economic and ecological future will grow, benefitting every individual and every business on the island.
Bimini’s tourism industry requires a healthy environment; it is the pristine beauty and extraordinary ecology of the Bahamas that continues to draw people to these islands. As someone who cares deeply about the Bahamas, I hereby offer my strong support in the full establishment of Bimini’s Marine Protected Area, and respectfully ask that the Government of the Bahamas treat this issue as a top priority for 2012.


For Bimini,
YOUR NAME HERE