As many as a dozen sharks may have been killed since one attacked a British tourist last week Friday at Turtle Beach, Tobago.
Videos by fishermen on social media have shown a number of sharks killed in the waters off Tobago.
The videos started surfacing last Friday following a $10,000 bounty issued by the Tobago House of Assembly for the capture of what witnesses said was a bull shark that severely injured British national Peter Smith while he was swimming at Turtle Beach. The bounty was later recalled by the THA.
Smith was flown via air ambulance to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida, for further medical care. According to a statement from his wife, he had to have his fingers surgically reattached and needed “extensive work” on one of his legs following the gruesome attack. He also suffered injuries to his abdomen, and remained in intensive care over the weekend.
He is however under “strong medication”, she said in the statement released through the BBC. The UK Foreign Office said they were providing support to the family.
Tobago government strongly condemns shark killings
The Division of Food Security, Natural Resources, the Environment and Sustainable Development of the Tobago House of Assembly has “strongly condemned” what it called the “indiscriminate killing of sharks in response to a recent shark attack incident in Tobago”.
In a media release, the division noted that sharks play a vital role in maintaining the delicate balance of our marine ecosystems.
“We understand the concerns and fears arising from the recent incident. However, reacting to this isolated event (where a British tourist was recently attacked by a shark) by targeting and killing sharks indiscriminately is not only ineffective in preventing future incidents but also harmful to our marine biodiversity,” the release said.
It noted further that Trinidad and Tobago is committed to the conservation and protection of its marine resources, including sharks, through various national laws and international conventions.
The release said: “The Fisheries Act, Environmental Management Act, and Conservation of Wildlife Act all provide a framework for managing and safeguarding our marine wildlife. Additionally, as a member of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas and a party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, we have a responsibility to adhere to international standards for shark conservation.”
The division further issued a plea to the public to refrain from engaging in any unauthorized hunting, capturing, or killing of sharks.
“Instead, we encourage the public to follow shark safety guidelines, such as avoiding areas where sharks are known to congregate, staying calm if encountering a shark, and reporting any shark sightings to local authorities,” it said.
