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

HAMMERTIME: IT'S OFFICIAL

In the late hours of March 12 news of the historic CITES Appendix II approval for five species of sharks spread like wildfire. This listing will require strictly controlled permits to export fins from not only the 3 species of hammerheads( great, smooth and scalloped), but also porbeagle and oceanic white tip sharks. With the recent publication of scientific findings estimating the numbers of sharks killed each to year to be approximately 100 million (range of 63 to 273 million) this is a groundbreaking moment seeing science and conservation triumph over politics and greed.

This is a historic accomplishment for our oceans and offers hope that voices will be heard and the hard fought efforts have and do make a difference.

This victory is worthy of celebration, but also a reminder there is still a great deal of work to be done. You don’t have to be an expert, a biologist, a diver or on the frontlines of conservation everyday to make a difference. Every person can make a difference!

YOU Can Help Sharks

For more information:

Shark Savers

PEW

Shark Defenders

The Bold and the Beautiful: Great Hammerhead Sharks

With my knees planted firmly in the white sand bottom, I watched as 6 great hammerhead sharks cruised around. It is a remarkable experience to encounter a solitary animal, but absolutely indescribable to witness 6 of these magnificent creatures in such close proximity. By far, one of the most amazing moments I have ever had. I am still having difficulty wrapping my head around it.




As they swim past they are bold, moving towards the bait, but show no aggression or agitation with divers. We are strangers in their world; on borrowed air and time in hopes of spending as much time as possible watching glide effortlessly through the water. I am sure our awe is not reciprocated as I imagine they are wondering what these bubble blowing, loud and awkward creatures are.




Meanwhile, across the globe in Bangkok, Thailand, people are gathered for the 16th Conference of the Parties to debate further protection of animals by CITES. Great hammerheads were a part of that debate, listed because of the similarity of their fins to the proposed scalloped hammerhead. Today the initial protection of the animals to be listed on Appendix II passed and the aftershock has been felt across the globe. This is a groundbreaking step in shark conservation and hopefully the momentum will continue for more species and for more restriction. This vote can still be overturned on Thursday’s plenary vote, but is a giant leap in the right direction.

There were some very powerful campaigns launched in favor of protecting these incredible animals and they prove that our voices will be heard and we can all make a difference. The Shark Defenders sent Shark Stanley around the world with the help of 10,000 supporters from 135 countries. PEW, Shark Savers and Project Aware were also instrumental in spreading the word and encouraging people to speak up on behalf of sharks.

A listing on Appendix II will mean strictly controlled permits will be required to export fins from not only the 3 species of hammerheads, but also of porbeagle sharks and oceanic white tips. Manta rays also saw approval, making it a “jawsome,” day for elasmobranchs.

Fingers, toes and fins crossed for Thursday’s vote.

Let’s make officially make 2013 The Year of the Great Hammerhead!

2013: The Year of the Great Hammerhead Shark

As I write this, CITES CoP16 is underway. CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, is an international agreement between governments around the world. The goal is to ensure that the multi-billion dollar international trade of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. CITES offers protections for over 30,000 species across the globe. Countries voluntarily join, but once a member they are legally bound to uphold the convention. This year the 16th meeting of the Conference of Parties (countries) is happening in Bangkok, Thailand and a proposal to include scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) in the Appendix II listing has been submitted by numerous countries including, Costa Rica, Ecuador and 27 member States of the European Union. Great and smooth hammerhead sharks are being included in this listing because their fins look very similar when traded. Oceanic white tip sharks, porbeagle sharks and manta ray proposals have also been submitted.

2013 has certainly become the year of the great hammerhead shark, especially on the tiny island of South Bimini in the Bahamas. For nearly a decade the Bimini Biological Field Station (Sharklab)
and its staff have been developing sites to dive with and tag these amazing creatures. From January through March, the great hammerheads frequent these crystal clear waters and can be n close proximity to the coastline. Until this year, this aggregation had managed, for the most part, to stay off the radar. This created an ideal research and diving venue, uninfluenced by outside factors. This has all changed this year and the, "cat is out of the bag," so to speak with everyone and their uncle motoring to the shores of Bimini to have their moment in the world’s newest shark diving Mecca.

The shark diving community is small and the Internet has made the world even smaller, so in a short period of time news has spread to the far reaches of the globe in the form of images, social media posts, videos and blogs. Sadly, it has also not taken much time for bickering among boats, claims of discovery and touching/grabbing of the sharks to happen. No one owns these sharks, but the sharks, the scientists who study them and the island they are swimming around, should all be respected. I have shared two letters in a previous post about hammerhead shark diving protocols and encourage people to read them. The world deserves to see these animals and the more positive press and education that is spread, the better their chances of survival.

My first hammerhead encounter happened in 2007 off the coast of Key West, Florida. Since then I have only had a handful of encounters both diving and tagging these animals, but they have remained my favorite animal on the planet without question. The conservation media company my husband and I run has a hammerhead in the logo, we each have hammerhead tattoos that we got before we ever met and our wedding rings have 2 hammerheads engraved on them; we love these sharks.




The crystal clear water of Bimini and the shallow depth, make this an ideal place for photo and video; probably the biggest draw for the masses now flocking to Bimini. The sharks cruise in from the haze and circle around the bait. These charismatic predators are bold, but not aggressive or fearful. They have comical faces, with their mouth on the underside and large cartoon like eyes. They appear to be laughing at a joke or smiling for the camera. Power and grace, with a Cheshire cat smile. No, they do not have the characteristic sleek body or head sharks are known for, but even people who do not know much about sharks can identify a hammerhead.






Sadly, the rare and elusive nature of these creatures, which has catalyzed a global interest in photographing and filming them, is also the reason why research to better understand them is absolutely critical.

I feel truly blessed to have spent so much time with these magnificent animals and I hope that each and every person that slips beneath the surface around Bimini realizes how fortunate they are as well. It is not about getting the shot or filming in 4K; it is about sharing with the world why these animals need protection. Each image, each video clip, each blog, each story shared with friends, is so much more than just those things; it is an opportunity to spread awareness, educate the world and help make sure future generations can know the indescribable beauty of having a great hammerhead swim past.

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

Setting an Example for Future "Shark-Girls"

This video has been going around the Internet and I have had quite a few people email or message me about it.
As a woman in the shark conservation and shark diving industry, I want my reputation to be based on the media I create, the outreach I do and the message I spread. I am not trying to prove how, “tough,” or, “cool,” I am, in fact, I am a science geek who is utterly obsessed with sharks.

I believe this woman was actually sharing a positive message for sharks and I have no doubt that she loves these animals and wants to help protect them. I am not sure though, why grabbing or riding sharks, seems to be the current popular choice for spreading shark conservation. She has spent time in the water and has observed the behavior of these animals, but what about the yahoo that has not and decides this looks like fun? What happens when something goes wrong? It is NOT the shark’s fault, but the shark will get blamed and it will only add fuel to the fire built on stereotypes, fear mongering and media frenzies.

I do a lot of classroom visits and I am always thrilled when girls come up and say they want to be a marine biologist or dive with sharks. If I am so lucky as to be looked at as a role model, I want young girls to aspire to ask questions, be science geeks and love and respect the ocean. I don’t want them to feel as though they have to ride a shark wearing a bikini to make a difference. I know sex sells and it is used to sell everything from potato chips to automobiles, but I do not think we need more reasons in society for woman to only be valued for their body.

P.S In the words of my good friend Mike Neumann, “sharks are NOT underwater scooters.”

Fiji:Setting the Standard for Shark Conservation

Fiji is by far one of the most mind-blowing places I have had the pleasure to visit and by mind-blowing I mean spectacular, stunning and amazing all wrapped up in a beautiful culture and nourished with incredible fresh fruit and vegetables. Above and below the surface, the environment is nothing short of remarkable; a place I cannot wait to return.

Duncan and I spent nearly a month on the main island of Fiji, Vitu Levu and did our best of explore the heartbeat of this wild and rugged destination. We were not intending a dive vacation and didn’t even bring the underwater housings with us. This is inevitably what made us nearly cry when we were surrounded by bull sharks and had empty hands.

We planned a single day of shark diving with Beqa Adventure Divers; this was a huge mistake! We should have planned for a month of solid diving! The sharks, the dive team; from the top down this operation is run with efficiency, safety and compassion. I still cannot get over the size and number of bull sharks that were circling above me.

We spent some time filming topside because Fiji has taken on the Shark Free Marina Initiative and run with it. A small island nation is setting global standards for conservation and we wanted to share a piece of the story.

Thanks to BAD TEAM (Beqa Adventure Divers), Mike Neumann, Matava Eco Resort, Stuart Gow and the people of Fiji.


BEST SHARK DIVE ON THE PLANET

Shark Free Marinas - Fiji from Oceanicallstars: Duncan Brake on Vimeo.