The number of sharks being killed in Cayman’s waters is increasing.
The latest figures from the Department of Environment revealed that, up to Thursday, 26 Aug., 27 dead sharks have been reported, 11 more than the 16 dead animals reported in 2019.
COVID restrictions and lockdown in 2020 meant the DoE logged just one report of a dead nurse shark that year. That count, however, is assumed to be inaccurate.
The most recent carcasses found were mutilated and abandoned on fishing docks, which worries avid diver Steve Broadbelt.
“I really thought this had stopped,” said Broadbelt, co-owner of East End dive operator Ocean Frontiers.
He told the Cayman Compass, “I thought all the awareness had helped. We are coming from a time when fishing companies used to advertise ‘shark catching trips’, and some supermarkets used to sell shark meat. This is a big shock and an even bigger step backwards.”
DoE shark specialist Johanna Kohler said reports of dead sharks were received from all three islands and comprised several different species.
“Caribbean reef sharks are the most common, and then nurse sharks,” said Kohler. “We also had the one unusual dusky smooth-hound shark found. Some of the reports where there was no carcass for us to examine, we don’t know the species. We have also previously had juvenile black tip and lemon sharks caught by fishers in the shallow near-shore water.”
Kohler said the carcasses revealed that the sharks all died after an encounter with people fishing.
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Read Full Story: https://www.caymancompass.com/2021/08/29/shark-killings-on-the-rise-in-cayman-waters/
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