r/sharks

Today starts shark fest on NetGeo. So much better than discovery’s shark week, but it doesn’t get the hype. Pretty sure it runs two weeks.

I live on the Caribbean island of Saint Kitts, a place that many people know for its beautiful beaches. This has been my home for nearly a decade now.

A popular cruise ship “beach club” recently enclosed part of a lagoon to create what is being marketed as a “marine sanctuary” and wildlife rehabilitation experience for tourists. Cruise passengers are brought to the site to view sharks and rays that have been placed inside these enclosures.

According to local reports, fishermen have been paid to bring sharks and rays into the lagoon, including spotted eagle rays, a species of conservation concern. The animals are being housed in sandy-bottom pens with little visible enrichment or environmental complexity. These are wild caught animals, including large nurse sharks.

Last week, a child on a cruise was reportedly bitten on the calf by a nurse shark and required treatment at the hospital. Saint Kitts is a very small island, and news travels quickly, yet there has been very little public discussion from officials.

Many residents have expressed concerns about animal welfare, public safety, and whether the necessary approvals and permits were obtained before the project was established. Complaints have reportedly been filed, but so far there has been little public response. To the best of my knowledge they have no permits but the government is looking the other day. Different departments bounce concerns back and forth and nothing actually happens. Just another example of how money buys power and influence.

What breaks my heart is that sharks and rays are often misunderstood animals that already face enormous threats from habitat loss, fishing pressure, and negative public perceptions. Many locals already aggressively fish for sharks, including tigers, and celebrate their death. They deserve responsible conservation efforts, not situations that may place both animals and people at risk.

Most of the time these videos have taken place in the very controlled environments with multiple other divers and of course trained professionals and the shark being quite docile.

In the event of an attack or bite you’ll most likely be alone and not even see the shark even coming even if it’s for a test bite. A Tiger Shark doing a full on ambush attack even if you see it coming is not gonna be affected by a redirection on the nose, its going at most of its speed and power, its impossible to do that.

These Tik Tok and instagram videos showing divers do this alongside some peaceful or playful background music promote harmful expectations and realities of sharks and their relationship with humans. We should all collectively these videos out NOT JUST THE OFEAN RAMSAY ONES all of them.