Bimini BULL 'ish: Shooting Fish in a Barrel

Duncan and I spent an amazing day on the water to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary and decided to head to the north island for dinner. We sat on the Big Game restaurant deck and enjoyed our cocktails as we watched the sun slipping away. The fish-cleaning tables were bustling with activity as several guys cleaned the day’s Mahi Mahi catch. We watched as they leaned over the railings and pointed, no doubt spotting some of the bull sharks that cruise the area looking for free scraps. For decades bulls sharks have swam into the channel between the islands and gotten a free meal from fisherman cleaning their catch. The Sharklab has been collecting valuable data from these animals for years through their tagging program.



Tagging a bull shark in Bimini IMAGE: Grant Johnson


This year Big Game launched an operation allowing people to see these incredible animals up close from the comfort of a shark cage. No, it is not conditioning the sharks to associate people with food, it is simply allowing people a safe viewing window of a phenomenon that has been happening for year. We watched as one guy grabbed a rod and his fighting belt. I looked at Duncan and we knew what this idiot was planning. The deep-sea rod with high-test tackle was not designed for catching snapper, but was ideal for sharks. All of a sudden everyone was shouting and running down the dock. He had hooked a shark and was now trying to figure out what to do. Guys were scrambling to grab cameras in order to capture their latest Facebook status update in an attempt to prove how tough or manly they are.

I headed for the dock and Duncan headed for the office. The guy was shouting, “it’s in the pilings,” as I made my way over. I quietly asked one of the guys what was going on and he smiled as he shared with me the excitement of the bull shark on the line. I could see the shark in the distance and walked back to the office. I had to bite my tongue because in their drunken state of machismo, these men would most definitely be argumentative and this accomplishes nothing.

Duncan was explaining the situation to the security guard as I entered the office. We made our way back to the deck and watched as she went to speak with the men. The shark had by this time broken the line and was now, most likely, sporting some new and unnecessary jewelry. You may be wondering why I am writing about this and there are 3 simple reasons.

1. This marina is clearly labeled as Shark Free with signs posted in several locations.

2. The Bahamas is a Shark sanctuary and fishing for sharks is illegal. There is a sign posted on the fish-cleaning table that clearly states this.

3. Fishing for sharks at a shark research & diving site is pathetic and completely disrespectful to the animals, the research and the island itself.

Here is what Bimini Bull Run had to say in response to our report.
“We just got word that someone deliberately hooked one of the wonderful sharks at Bimini Big Game Club yesterday. The shark broke the line but still has a hook in it, which is TOTALLY unacceptable.

These persons willfully chose to ignore:

1. Multiply Shark-Free Marinas Signs

2. Multiple Active Shark Zone Signs

3. Multiple Area Under Surveillance Signs

4. 220 feet of chain link fencing, 100 feet of wooden fencing

5. One ACTIVE camera on a 60 foot mast

6. An informational website that clearly states no fishing (SFMI)

We will be taking further steps to prevent ANYONE from fishing sharks at the BBGC. At the time security was called by the locals who witnessed the event (thank you!) and the shark fishing ended.

Due to the newly installed fencing at BBR it has made shark fishing much harder (you really have to try) but yesterdays sad event showed us that there is more educational work to be done and more outreach that could happen.

Change will happen but sometimes people who feel entitled will ignore every sign posted and only stop poor behavior when confronted."




*****UPDATE*****

The vessel these men were on has been banned from Bimini Big Game Club! Bimini LOVES Sharks

Great Hammerhead Shark Diving Protocols: Bimini, The Bahamas

Great Hammerheads have created quite a stir in Bimini this year and it is important that some of the ridiculous shark riding shenanigans that happen in other locations not be brought to these sites. Please respect these animals and help protect them. Scalloped, smooth and Great Hammerheads are all listed in proposals for inclusion at this year at the CITES convention happening in Bangkok, Thailand in March.

Below are two letters sent to various members of the shark diving community is hopes that they will respect not only these animals, but the island they are located near.





Greetings from Bimini,

With the enormous amount of interest that the Great Hammerheads are generating around Bimini this year, I wanted to attempt to to set the record straight regarding this incredible situation happening around the island. I don’t mean this message to be confrontational or self-righteous, rather I’m hoping it can be informative and maybe even helpful.

As anyone familiar with Bimini has probably already assumed, the researchers at the Bimini Biological Field Station (SharkLab) are responsible for discovering and determining the regularity and reliability of diving with these big hammerheads. The SharkLab staff began diving with these sharks on a regular basis back in 2003, and since then have utilized various ‘hammerhead sites’ around the island for numerous research projects and related expeditions. Obviously the hammerheads were around long before that, and can be found in more than one location around Bimini, but all of the visiting “shark diving” boats are utilizing sites and situations developed by local SharkLab researchers.

Due to the rarity of interacting with these sharks, and the incredible potential for research opportunities on an IUCN Redlisted species, local guides and tour operators have resisted the exploitation of this yearly “hammerhead season” around Bimini. It was decided that research should be the priority surrounding this event, rather than commercialization.

For better or for worse, and against the wishes of many of those involved with developing this phenomenon, that all changed in 2012. An off-island SCUBA operator caught wind of the situation around Bimini and convinced a former SharkLabber to show him the basics of how-and-when-and-where to attract these incredible sharks. A year later, after the wide publicization of that promised “one time only” expedition, we now have at least 10 off-island dive operations converging on Bimini to experience this event.

Anyone coming to dive with these sharks around Bimini needs to accept that there is considerable amount of responsibility that comes with your expedition. You hold in your power the ability to do an enormous amount of damage to the reputation of this island and to this endangered species of shark, and hopefully you do not take this lightly. I’m a firm believer that under the right circumstances and with the proper insight, any species of shark can be safely encountered in the wild. That being said, I would imagine there is little to no agreement on exactly what those circumstances and insights are. But if you think its acceptable to put yourself, or your guests, or the sharks, at any elevated risk for the sake of photos, videos, or bragging-rights, you are wrong. If you or your guests get hurt around Bimini because of your own recklessness, the tourism industry on this island could face irreparable damage, as could the public perception of these sharks, and we want people to take that very, very seriously.

Additionally, I’d like to suggest that if you are benefitting in anyway from your expedition to Bimini, that you should make a point to patronize some of the local businesses while you’re here so that the island benefits from your trip as well. Go to the local bars at night, take some meals at local restaurants, take a tour of the SharkLab, or whatever else you think is fitting. If you’re looking for a marina to tie up in, please consider Bimini Sands Resort & Marina, the Bimini Big Game Club, Seacrest Hotel & Marina, Bimini Blue Water Resort, Weech’s Bimini Docks, or Brown’s Marina. All of these marinas have supported local conservation measures around the island, and should be rewarded for doing so.

If, for some reason, you’re not willing to spend money on the island, then contribute in some other way. Help maintain the moorings at the local dive sites, do a beach-clean-up with your crew and guests, join and help publicize the Bimini Marine Protected Area Campaign, or something else worthwhile.

We don’t need, or want, this amazing event around Bimini to turn into a circus of competing egos. There is no need to further misrepresent the history of this situation, nor is there any reason that the operators involved can’t coordinate and cooperate in a professional manner, all without interfering with ongoing research.

If you are seeing this message, The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism has been made aware of your visit, as have local law enforcement officials. We expect your cooperation in ensuring the safety of every person and animal involved in these expeditions, and also expect your help in maintaining a professional atmosphere around the island with proper diving etiquette employed.

As Bimini emerges as the regional “Hammerhead Headquarters,” we all need to do what is necessary to make sure your excursion not only benefits you and your guests, but also the sharks and the island of Bimini.

Thank you for your time, and please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions or comments.

Regards,
Grant Johnson

Vice-Chairman, Bimini Tourism Advisory Board (BTAB)
Activities Director, Bimini Sands Resort & Marina (2007 – Present)
Former Manager, Bimini Biological Field Station –SharkLab (2001-2007)



Sharklab:
Dear All, 


For the past 23 years the Bimini Biological Field Station, "Sharklab" has been documenting the occurrence of Great hammerhead, S. mokarran sharks around the Bimini Islands. In 2003 we located an area, "The Grate" where these animals could be baited in for educational experiences and to facilitate tagging and genetic sampling. Last year this site was used for the first time commercially as a diving experience for tourists, and in the past two months a number of tourism vessels have begun to explore its potential. Whilst we are delighted to see people from around the globe interact with, and observe up close one of the world’s most charismatic predators we are keen to ensure that such experiences are conducted in a safe and responsible manner. This site is an established research location for Great hammerheads and has already provided some interesting findings. Attached is a document that includes some of these preliminary results, as well as, sections detailing our current understanding of Great hammerhead biology and conservation, planned methods and the significance of our research. Great hammerheads are endangered, declining in numbers and data deficient. To our knowledge there are few places around the globe where it is possible to research free-ranging individuals in close proximity to shore. Bimini therefore gives us a unique opportunity to understand more about these elusive predators and we hope that with this email and detailed description of our project we can open up lines of communication between ourselves and dive operators. We are eager to collate as much data as possible on these enigmatic sharks and would welcome information on the number of tagged / untagged individuals observed, as well as, environmental records of the conditions, such as water temperature during such dives. It would also be particularly useful to know when and for how long operators are using the site so that we can coordinate with our research and educational trips. If you are interested to take such information please contact me for a data template. 

I would greatly appreciate your time in replying to this email with any thoughts or comments.

Thank you for your time and best regards,

Dr. Tristan Guttridge
Director Bimini Biological Field Station
South Bimini, The Bahamas

Bimini Blast: Our STAYcation Part II

Duncan arrived back from his shoot in the early hours of the morning along with our friend Glenn, who had been on the shoot with him. We had rented a boat for the day, so everyone was rushing around to get ready and head out the door. Scuba tanks, bait, dive gear, lunch of champions ( peanut butter and jelly) and cameras filled every empty space on the boat. Walt arrived and we launched into our adventure.

Our first stop was Triangle to dive with Caribbean reef sharks. The sharks here have become familiar with divers over the course of 20 years of research and filming that has occurred at the site. We anchored the boat and began baiting. We are spoiled at this location and usually have sharks around us before the boat is even set. On this day nothing seemed to be happening,not a shark in site. Dunk and I looked at each other, as we had only encountered this one other time. Three years ago we were skunked on the same site because block rigs had been dropped in the area and their target was sharks. They were created with car batteries as anchors and had metal wire with large rusty hooks. No doubt a shark had struggled or been captured on one, causing the other sharks to disappear. Dead shark is a repellent for many shark species and companies are working on synthesizing dead shark as a repellent to keep sharks away from longlines, beaches and other areas that might be harmful to them.

We waited about 15 minutes and I made the call to move on with our day. There was no sign of life and we knew there would not be. We got reports from two other groups that attempted a snorkel on the site and they got skunked as well. It was later confirmed that a vessel had been shark fishing the previous day. Nothing like some asshole
(pardon my language, but this angers me to no end) tourists to go “shoot fish in a barrel.” Real fisherman huh? I was disappointed that our camera loaded friends didn't get the experience, but beyond disappointed and angry at the fact that people cannot leave sharks alone! The locals respect this site and understand its importance, but tourists don’t care about the damage they leave behind because it is not their backyard. I am not Bahamian, but I live in Bimini and this is my backyard!

We headed to another site to find some nurse sharks and were happily greeted by a slumber party of six nurses wedged under a coral head. They cruised around and sniffed our bait. This is one of my favorite spots, although only ten feet deep, to visit and hangout. The current was ripping, which made the dive challenging, especially in shallow water, but everyone got some nurse shark love.

We had such a blast hanging with the rays earlier in the week that we headed
back to Honeymoon Harbor to finish off our day. Glenn had never been and getting goosed by a stingray is really a must when visiting Bimini. We plopped down our delicious bait and were immediately mugged by 10-12 stingrays. They have no manners and do not mind giving you a goose or a bit of chew. If they get your toes it feels really weird. Glenn was like a kid on Christmas, the typical reaction, as rays swarmed him and traded lots of Bimini love for a free snack. There were several families picnicking on the beach and they came to check out what were doing. One mentioned she heard stingrays were dangerous, but we quickly coaxed her into the water and watched as she squealed with delight as a massive ray sat on her lap.

Before long we had a few other guests join us, as two large nurse sharks and two good sized Caribbean reef sharks came in to check out the commotion. Six kids, balanced precariously on a paddleboard, shouted, “shark,” and immediately headed off to get a better look. I love it when people yell, “ shark,” and move in for a closer look rather than running for the hills. The kids shouted and laughed as the shark tried to avoid the ruckus they were causing. “ Cool, “ and, “ awesome,” were shouted at least a dozen times. We basked in the glow of Mother Nature’s classroom and continued to talk to spectators about the rays and sharks. We definitely changed a few minds which soothed the wounds inflicted earlier by the lack of sharks at Triangle.

The conditions were perfect as stingrays zipped across the white sand bottom in gin clear water. I am pretty sure Denny was actually drooling as he fired shot after shot on his camera. Two and a half hours were absorbed by sharks and rays and we soaked up the final moments. Dunk and I dropped everyone off for a snorkel lap around the concrete ship, as it really is another must for the Bimini visitor. We were back before sunset and ready to celebrate the day with a cocktail. I blended some frozen deliciousness and we enjoyed some local fare.

Sadly Shari and Walt departed early the next day, but we scurried to get on the water before Dennis had to catch his afternoon flight. The tide was right for us to make a run through Smuggler’s pass in the mangroves. This aptly named route was utilized by rum and drug runners in the past and is one of the most amazing places on the planet. We zipped through the channel, not as wide as the boat in some places, and relished in the complete rawness of the mangrove forest. The occasional airplane passing overhead was the only reminder that were were not a million miles from civilization. Very few people on the planet have visited this region and it really is a hidden treasure. Schools of juvenile snapper darted a head of us as juvenile green turtles raced each other across our bow. A large Southern stingray cruised a long and a juvenile lemon sharks took cover in the thickness of the mangrove root maze.

The channel finally opened and we were deposited in the lagoon that separates the north and south islands. In the distance the development has littered the landscape with piles of sand and heavy construction equipment. Boggles my mind that a treasure like this channel exists and people are blind to it, having no empathy towards the vital roll it plays in the life of the island. A role that not even the al mightiest of dollars can rival.

We anchored the boat and swam. We floated, laughed and wallowed in what we had just experienced. Such a breathtaking place that never ceases to amaze me. We said goodbye to the mangroves and pulled up at Stuart’s Conch stand to toast the day with a cold libation. Front row parking on the beach and cold Kaliks in our hand immediately. We had become frequent guests in the recent days and I have to say it never got old. There is nothing bad about sitting on a deck over the ocean with a cold beer and a lovely breeze. We shoved off and headed for home so Denny could make his flight, although I am sure he wouldn’t have minded missing it.

Thanks to our amazing friends for sharing our home and this incredible little island.Check out Denny’s VIDEO that captures some of the brilliant moments from this part of the adventure as well as the FIRST.

Why Are We Teaching Kids to Kill Sharks?

My last blog highlighted a 12 year old boy that is speaking up on behalf of sharks; this blog is about encountering two different boys on the same day that were attempting to harass or kill a shark. We were able to stop one and actually get the whole group excited about sharks. It is amazing the impact that just five minutes of education can have.

On Sunday I was out boating with some friends just off West End Grand Bahama and we stopped at a small cay to enjoy the view and chat with some other boaters. Some guys were fishing in the flats and we really didn’t think anything of it. Our friend had mentioned that they see black tip sharks and nurse sharks out there, so we were hoping to get a glimpse. There were hound fish around, but not much else. We soon learned that they were catching hound fish to use for shark fishing bait. As this conversation started, Duncan and I were standing out in the water enjoying a good wallow and avoiding the army of mosquitoes. I was thrilled to overhear my friend, now an avid shark advocate and one of my dive students, explain why they should not be catching sharks. He was polite and informative. Duncan and I looked at each other and smiled.

The guy fishing pitched the bait into the water and said we might want to get out. We explained that we are those people that go into the water when someone yells, “shark.” He laughed. We grabbed some of the pieces and started breaking them up, trying to attract in some sharky friends. Within five minutes a good size black tip shark cruised in. The whole group got excited and seemed surprised that were trying to get it closer to us. We watched the shark for about fifteen minutes and then headed to shore. The fisherman explained that he thought sharks were really cool and asked why we loved them so much. I was a little confused, but expressed my love and passion for the ocean. This launched a great conversation with him and his fifteen year old son about sharks, shark diving and filming. The boy asked a lot of great questions and said he was thinking about being a marine biologist, but didn’t want to be stuck in a lab. His dad also said that he had once dreamed of being a marine biologist. You may not be a marine biologist, but anyone can be a shark and ocean advocate. I am hoping that we added a few recruits to the army.

The other kid we encountered was via the Internet and was actually fishing for sharks off the dock of a massive marina on the north island of Bimini; a Shark Free Marina I might add. The photos showed four or five adults around the boy as he hooked an adult lemon and reeled it in. I was so angry when I saw the images. Why put signs up? Why get involved if you do not care to educate the people that are in violation? I have no idea whether they killed the shark or released it, but this action should never have gotten to this point. Why harass animals, whether it is banned or not. What are you proving? What are you teaching your son? Is he a man because he can drag a shark onto the dock? Is he tough? Is he cool? What is the purpose? It is also frustrating that this marina is not upholding the commitment that it publically announced.

As an ambassador and a regional board member for the Shark Free Marina Initiative, I have done a lot of outreach and work in the Bahamas. I have seen first hand the disgusting act of sharks being strung up on the dock. I have witnessed fishermen catching sharks from the docks, only to drag them up and torture them. For some reason throwing a bunch of fish scraps in the water, luring in sharks and then dragging them on the dock to cut out their jaws, is entertaining.

Being a shark free is amazing, but only if you actually enforce it. The staff members at The Bimini Sands Resort and Marina and Old Bahama Bay are very diligent about upholding the commitment and explaining it to those in violation. There is a sense of pride in respecting the ocean environment that surrounds them. There may still be fear and misunderstanding, but the staff members are excited to be apart of something that matters. They are helping to take care of the beautiful ocean that surrounds the islands of the Bahamas.

This group probably did not go visit the Sharklab and learn about the mangroves and why this area is so crucial for the sharks. Maybe if that boy had gotten to touch a juvenile lemon shark he would not have wanted to drag one onto the dock. Maybe the adults wouldn’t have encouraged this unnecessary activity. Maybe if someone had been there to explain Shark Free Marinas, the whole group would have more respect for these animals. There are a lot of, “what ifs,” but education is powerful and we must keep pushing forward with that.